International Botev Prize
2 appearances
-
Edition 9 (1986) Winner
Günter Wallraff
ギュンター・ヴァルラフ
Günter Wallraff
Pen Names:
Hans Esser（Alias used during undercover work, notably while working at the tabloid Bild-Zeitung）
Profile
- Gender
- Male
- Born
- 1942-10-01 （Burscheid, Germany）
- Nationality
- Germany
- Languages
- German
Career
- Occupations
- Writer, Undercover journalist, Investigative journalist
- Active Years
- 1960-
Education
| Institution | Faculty | Department | Degree | Period | Country |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bookseller apprenticeship | — | Bookselling | — | 〜1962 | Germany |
Bookseller apprenticeship
Bookselling
Period:
〜1962
Year of Graduation:
1962
Country:
Germany
Completed vocational training as a bookseller after secondary school
Awards
| Year | Award | Work | Category | Organization | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1979 | Gerrit-Engelke-Literaturpreis | — | — | City of Hanover | 受賞 |
| 1983 | Monismanien Prize | — | — | Uppsala University / Göteborgs Nation | 受賞 |
| 1984 | Carl von Ossietzky Medal | — | — | Carl von Ossietzky awarding body | 受賞 |
| 1985 | Literaturpreis der Menschenrechte | — | — | French awarding body (shared) | 共同受賞（ジェームズ・ボールドウィンと） |
| 1986 | International Botev Prize (Laureate) | — | — | International Botev Committee | 受賞 |
| 1987 | British Academy Award of Film and Television Art | — | — | BAFTA | 受賞 |
| 1987 | Prix Jean d'Arcy | Film 'Ganz unten' (based on Wallraff's work) | — | French media organization | 受賞 |
Gerrit-Engelke-Literaturpreis
1979
Organization:
City of Hanover
Result:
受賞
Monismanien Prize
1983
Organization:
Uppsala University / Göteborgs Nation
Result:
受賞
Carl von Ossietzky Medal
1984
Organization:
Carl von Ossietzky awarding body
Result:
受賞
Literaturpreis der Menschenrechte
1985
Organization:
French awarding body (shared)
Result:
共同受賞（ジェームズ・ボールドウィンと）
International Botev Prize (Laureate)
1986
Organization:
International Botev Committee
Result:
受賞
British Academy Award of Film and Television Art
1987
Organization:
BAFTA
Result:
受賞
Prix Jean d'Arcy
1987
Work:
Film 'Ganz unten' (based on Wallraff's work)
Organization:
French media organization
Result:
受賞
Awards & Nominations
Hermann Kesten Prize (formerly Hermann Kesten Medal)
1 appearances
-
Edition 32 (2020) Winner
Works
Major Works
13 unerwünschte Reportagen
1969 Investigative journalism / Non-fictionA collection of reports in which Wallraff assumed the roles of an alcoholic, a homeless person, a factory worker, and others to document conditions from within — an early major work of his undercover reporting.
Working-class realitiesUndercover reportingSocial exclusion
Translations
Der Aufmacher
1978 Non-fiction / Insider reportingAn exposé based on Wallraff's undercover work inside the tabloid Bild, revealing editorial practices and workplace culture. It later served as the basis for the English-language film 'The Man Inside' (1990).
Tabloid ethicsMedia criticism
Adaptations
- [Film] The Man Inside (1990)
Translations
Ganz unten (The Lowest of the Low)
1985 Non-fiction / Social investigationA reportage in which Wallraff posed as a Turkish guest worker to expose discrimination and exploitation by employers, landlords and authorities in West Germany.
Immigrant discriminationLabor exploitationSocial justice
Adaptations
- [Film] Ganz unten (film) (1987)
Translations
- The Lowest of the Low
Bibliography
- 13 unerwünschte Reportagen (1969)
- Der Aufmacher (1978)
- Ganz unten (1985)
- Anthology on military psychiatric ward experience (1970)
Adaptations
- Film 'The Man Inside' (1990), based on Der Aufmacher
- Film adaptations based on Ganz unten (circa 1987)
Translations of Works
- Ganz unten — translated as 'The Lowest of the Low'
Style & Themes
- Literary Style
- Immersive undercover, participant-observer documentary styleClear socially critical perspectiveConcise, reportorial narration
- Recurring Motifs
- Speaking for the voicelessExposing injustice by assuming different identitiesDetailed portrayals of workplace and living conditions
Legacy
Wallraff made visible the realities of workers, immigrants and marginalized groups through undercover reporting, provoking debate at home and abroad. His methods provoked both praise and criticism and influenced legal and public discussions about press freedom and public interest. His name even produced the Swedish verb 'wallraffa', now recorded in dictionaries.
In Popular Culture
- Gave rise to the Swedish verb 'wallraffa' meaning 'to expose from within'
- Subject of film adaptations such as 'The Man Inside'
Quotes
-
'If I want to make myself the mouthpiece of the voiceless who have little to say even though they have a lot to say, that means to me that I am one of them, at least temporarily.'
Source: Die Zeit (1977) (1977)
Trivia
- The Swedish verb 'wallraffa' derives from his undercover method.
- In 'Ganz unten' he posed as a Turkish worker to expose mistreatment of immigrants.
- In 2009 he used blackface in an undercover investigation and attracted controversy.
- He housed persecuted writers such as Salman Rushdie at times.