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Elfriede Jelinek

エルフリーデ・イェリネク

Erufurīde Yērineku

Profile

Gender
Female
Born
1946-10-20 （Mürzzuschlag district, Styria (then Allied-occupied Austria)）
Nationality
Austria
Languages
German
Religion
Catholic (mother); Jewish-Czech ancestry on father's side
Residence History
Styria (birthplace) → Vienna (long-term residence)

Career

Occupations
novelist, playwright, poet, screenwriter, translator
Active Years
1967-
Memberships
Austrian Communist Party (1974–1991)
Influenced By
Marxist thought, Musical and poetic traditions
Influenced
Contemporary German-language feminist literature and politically engaged playwrights

Education

Vienna Conservatory (municipal music school)
Organ, piano, composition
Period: 1960年代 - 1971
Year of Graduation: 1971
Country: Austria
Passed state organist examination
University of Vienna
Art history and theatre studies
Period: 1960年代（中退）
Country: Austria
Published a poetry collection while enrolled; left university in 1967 to pursue writing

Awards

Georg Büchner Prize
1998
Organization: German literary prize organization
Result: 受賞
Franz Kafka Prize
2004
Organization: Franz Kafka Society / Prize Committee
Result: 受賞
Nobel Prize in Literature
2004
Organization: Swedish Academy
Result: 受賞

Awards & Nominations

Works

Major Works

The Piano Teacher (Die Klavierspielerin)

1983 Novel

A psychological novel set in Vienna examining oppressive family relationships and sexual domination; notable for its austere, rhythmical, music-like prose.

patriarchysex and poweroppression
Adaptations
  • [Film] The Piano Teacher / ミヒャエル・ハネケ (Michael Haneke) (2001)
Translations
  • Translated into Japanese by Keiko Nakagomi

The Children of the Dead (Die Kinder der Toten)

1995 Novel

An ambitious, often gothic-tinged novel that mixes history, memory and death in a visionary, allegorical narrative.

memorydeathcritique of history
Translations
  • Translated into Japanese by Keiko Nakagomi and others

Lust

1989 Novel

A work focusing on sex, violence and desire; characteristic for Jelinek's cold, fragmentary style.

sexviolencedesire
Translations
  • Translated into Japanese by Keiko Nakagomi and Rita Brill

Bibliography

  • Michael (1972)
  • The Lovers (Die Liebhaberinnen, 1975)
  • The Piano Teacher (1983)
  • The Children of the Dead (1995)
  • Greed (2000)

Adaptations

  • 'The Piano Teacher' adapted into film by Michael Haneke (2001, Cannes Grand Prix)

Translations of Works

  • 'The Piano Teacher' Japanese translation (Keiko Nakagomi, 2002)
  • 'No Light' Japanese translation (Tachiki Hayashi, 2012)

Style & Themes

Literary Style
experimental, fragmentary prose incorporating musical rhythms and counterpointaustere and ironic narrative voicepolitically and socially critical, often cynical expression
Recurring Motifs
critique of patriarchyrelations between sex and powermemory and death

Legacy

Jelinek is one of the leading figures in contemporary German-language literature, acclaimed for her musical prose and sharp social critique. Her 2004 Nobel Prize cemented international recognition, and she has remained a contentious figure.

In Popular Culture

  • The film adaptation of 'The Piano Teacher' (dir. Michael Haneke, 2001) was acclaimed at Cannes and raised the profile of the original work.

Quotes

  • "For her musical flow of voices and counter-voices in novels and plays that with extraordinary linguistic zeal reveal the absurdity and suffering of a society."
    Source: The Nobel Committee (award citation, 2004) (2004)

Trivia

  • After winning the 2004 Nobel Prize, she expressed reluctance about becoming a public figure.
  • Has been strongly criticized by conservative commentators for explicit sexual depictions.
  • Member of the Austrian Communist Party from 1974 to 1991.