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Sibylle Lewitscharoff

ジビレ・レヴィッチャロフ

Jibire Revuiccharoff

Profile

Gender
Female
Born
1954-04-16 （Stuttgart, West Germany）
Died
2023-05-13 （Berlin, Germany） age 69
Nationality
German
Languages
German
Religion
Lutheran (influenced by Catholic tradition)
Residence History
Stuttgart (birth and childhood) → Berlin (long-term residence) → Buenos Aires (study visit, 1977) → Paris (further study, 1984)

Career

Occupations
Author, Radio playwright, Bookkeeper (former)
Active Years
1994-2023
Affiliations
Deutsche Akademie für Sprache und Dichtung, Villa Massimo (scholarship/residency), University of Kassel (Brothers Grimm Poetics Professorship)
Memberships
Deutsche Akademie für Sprache und Dichtung
Influenced By
Clemens Brentano, Johann Wolfgang von Goethe, Thomas Mann

Education

Free University of Berlin
Theology and Sociology / Department of Theology and Sociology
Period: 1972–1982
Year of Graduation: 1982
Country: Germany
One-year study visit to Buenos Aires in 1977; further study in Paris in 1984

Awards

Ingeborg Bachmann Prize
1998
Work: Pong
Organization: Ingeborg Bachmann Prize organizers
Result: 受賞
Leipzig Book Fair Prize
2009
Work: Apostoloff
Organization: Leipzig Book Fair
Result: 受賞
Marie Luise Kaschnitz Prize
2009
Organization: Marie Luise Kaschnitz Prize committee
Result: 受賞
Ricarda-Huch-Preis
2011
Organization: Ricarda-Huch-Preis committee
Result: 受賞
Marieluise-Fleißer-Preis
2011
Organization: Marieluise-Fleißer-Preis committee
Result: 受賞
Wilhelm Raabe Literature Prize
2011
Work: Blumenberg
Organization: Wilhelm Raabe Literature Prize committee
Result: 受賞
Georg Büchner Prize
2013
Organization: German Academy (Georg Büchner Prize)
Result: 受賞
Brothers Grimm Poetics Professorship
2013
Organization: University of Kassel
Result: 受賞（任命）

Awards & Nominations

Works

Major Works

36 Gerechte

1994 Short stories

An early collection of short stories showcasing her distinctive linguistic talent.

language playmoralityhuman observation

Pong

1998 Novel

Follows the strange life and death of the protagonist Pong; noted for playful language and allegorical elements. The novel earned the Ingeborg Bachmann Prize and led Lewitscharoff to focus fully on writing.

madnesshumanitysuicidelanguage play
Adaptations
  • [Illustrated/special edition] Pong redivivus (2013)
Translations
  • English translations exist; specifics vary by edition

Der höfliche Harald

1999 Novel

A 1999 novel exploring politeness and social observation.

social satirebehavioral norms

Montgomery

2003 Novel

A 2003 novel focusing on character psychology and situational depiction.

character psychologyeveryday uncanny

Consummatus

2006 Novel

Through the interior monologue of Ralph Zimmermann, the novel examines death and memory, with religious and cultural references.

deathmemoryreligious references

Apostoloff

2009 Novel (partly autobiographical)

A partly autobiographical novel centered on the suicide of a Bulgarian father and two sisters' visit to Bulgaria, exploring immigrant memory and family.

immigrationfamilyloss
Translations
  • English translation by Katy Derbyshire, distributed by Seagull Books

Blumenberg

2011 Novel (philosophical novel)

Weaves a philosophical meditation around Hans Blumenberg, introducing a lion as an imaginative element; rich in intellectual and theological references.

philosophysymbolism (lion)history and theology

Pong redivivus (with Friedrich Meckseper)

2013 Special edition / collaboration

A special edition of Pong with collaboration on illustrations and design.

book designillustration

Killmousky

2014 Crime novel / Mystery

A crime novel in which a retired policeman works as a private detective for an upper-class client; received mixed reviews.

crimemoral dilemmapast violence

Bibliography

  • 36 Gerechte (1994)
  • Pong (1998)
  • Der höfliche Harald (1999)
  • Montgomery (2003)
  • Consummatus (2006)
  • Apostoloff (2009)
  • Blumenberg (2011)
  • Pong redivivus (with Friedrich Meckseper, 2013)
  • Killmousky (2014)

Translations of Works

  • Apostoloff — English translation by Katy Derbyshire (Seagull Books)
  • Several works have been translated into English and other languages (editions vary)

Style & Themes

Literary Style
playful, technically skilled use of languagedense metaphors and rhythmic proserhetoric combining humor and profundity
Recurring Motifs
death and lossreligious motifsfocus on language and vocabularysymbolic animals (e.g., lions)family and immigrant memory

Health

  • Multiple sclerosis
    2010–2023
    Diagnosed in 2010; it affected later life and public activities. She continued writing but reportedly faced limitations in appearances and travel.

Legacy

Lewitscharoff was acclaimed for her linguistic virtuosity and distinctive perspective in contemporary German literature. She won the Georg Büchner Prize in 2013 and is known for blending elements of magical realism with philosophical and religious references.

Academic Societies

  • Deutsche Akademie für Sprache und Dichtung

Quotes

  • "[re-exploring] the boundaries of what we consider our daily reality with an inexhaustible energy of observation, narrative fantasy and linguistic inventiveness."
    Source: Georg Büchner Prize jury citation (2013) (2013)
  • "the most dazzling stylist of contemporary German literature."
    Source: Die Welt (2011) review (2011)

Trivia

  • Her father was an immigrant from Bulgaria who died by suicide when she was eleven.
  • After the success of Pong (1998) she left her bookkeeping job a few years later to focus on writing.
  • Her 2014 Dresden speech sparked controversy for phrases criticizing assisted reproduction.
  • Diagnosed with multiple sclerosis in 2010.
  • Her husband Friedrich Meckseper died in 2019.