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Ernst Meister

エルンスト・マイスター

Ernst Meister

Profile

Gender
Male
Born
1911-09-03 （Hagen, Germany）
Died
1979-06-15 age 67
Nationality
German
Languages
German
Residence History
Hagen (place of birth and upbringing)

Career

Occupations
poet, writer
Active Years
1932-1979
Influenced By
Karl Löwith (philosophy teacher), Hans-Georg Gadamer (philosophy teacher), Paul Celan (contemporary poet; works frequently compared)
Influenced
Nicolas Born (poet and novelist)

Education

various German universities
studied theology, literature, art history and philosophy
Country: Germany
Studied philosophy under Karl Löwith and Hans-Georg Gadamer; also studied theology, literature and art history at various German universities.

Awards

Annette von Droste-Hülshoff Prize
1957
Result: 受賞
Great Art Prize of North Rhine-Westphalia
1963
Result: 受賞
Petrarch Prize
1976
Result: 受賞
Rainer Maria Rilke Prize for Poetry
1978
Result: 受賞（サラ・キルシュと共同受賞）
Georg Büchner Prize
1979
Result: 受賞（追贈、受賞の知らせは死の数日前に伝えられた）

Awards & Nominations

Works

Major Works

Exhibition

1932 poetry

Meister's first major collection of poems, marking his early literary activity.

existenceearly poetic exploration

Under Black Sheep's Clothing

1953 poetry

One of the works published after a long period of silence; carries traces of wartime experiences.

shadows of warindividual anguish

Opposite the Hall of Mirrors

1954 poetry

Uses mirror metaphors to question the relationship between self and world.

selfperception

Say the Sentence of the Whole

1972 poetry

A mature collection deepening questions of language and existence.

languagetotality

In Time's Rift

1976 poetry

A collection centered on rifts in time; frankly addresses mortality and nothingness, depicting decay of mind and body.

deathnothingnesstime
Translations
  • In Time's Rift (translation by Graham Foust and Samuel Frederick, Wave Books, 2012)

Wallless Space

1979 poetry

A late collection that combines uncertainty of existence with both openness and anxiety.

ontological uncertaintyspace
Translations
  • Wallless Space (translation by Graham Foust and Samuel Frederick, Wave Books, 2014)

Bibliography

  • Ausstellung (1932)
  • Unterm schwarzen Schafspelz (1953)
  • Dem Spiegelkabinett gegenüber (1954)
  • Sage vom Ganzen den Satz (1972)
  • Im Zeitspalt (1976)
  • Wandloser Raum (1979)

Translations of Works

  • In Time's Rift (English translation by Graham Foust & Samuel Frederick, Wave Books, 2012)
  • Wallless Space (English translation by Graham Foust & Samuel Frederick, Wave Books, 2014)

Style & Themes

Literary Style
concise, condensed styledifficult syntaxdark, abstract landscapesexistential themes
Recurring Motifs
deathnothingnessshadows of warrifts in timedecay of mind and body

Legacy

Although relatively unknown during much of his life, Meister came to be regarded as an important figure in postwar German poetry and received higher recognition late in life and posthumously. He was awarded the Georg Büchner Prize in 1979 (notification arrived days before his death) and influenced poets such as Nicolas Born. His work is noted for existential themes and concise style.

Archives

  • Deutsche Nationalbibliothek / authority-controlled entries
  • Bibliothèque nationale de France (BnF) authority entry

Trivia

  • After his first major publication Exhibition (1932) he published little for about two decades.
  • The Georg Büchner Prize (1979) was awarded posthumously; he was informed of the honor days before his death.
  • His poetry is often compared to Paul Celan.
  • He studied under philosophers Karl Löwith and Hans-Georg Gadamer.