Georg Büchner Prize
1 appearances
-
Edition 58 (1983) Winner
Wolfdietrich Schnurre
ヴォルフディートリッヒ・シュヌッレ
Wolfdietrich Schnurre
Profile
- Gender
- Male
- Born
- 1920-08-22 （Frankfurt am Main）
- Died
- 1989-06-09 （Kiel） age 68
- Nationality
- Germany
- Languages
- German
- Residence History
- Frankfurt (Oberrad, Eschersheim) → Berlin-Weißensee → East Berlin (c.1946) → West Berlin (from c.1948) → Felde (early 1980s) → Kiel (died)
Career
- Occupations
- Writer, Short story writer, Critic (early)
- Active Years
- 1946-1989
- Affiliations
- Gruppe 47 (founding member), International PEN (joined 1958, left 1961)
- Memberships
- Gruppe 47 (founding member), International PEN (joined 1958, left 1961)
Awards
| Year | Award | Work | Category | Organization | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1959 | Immermann-Preis | — | — | Immermann Prize committee (Düsseldorf/related) | 受賞 |
| 1962 | Georg Marckensen Literature Award | — | — | Georg Marckensen award body | 受賞 |
| 1981 | Bundesverdienstkreuz (Federal Cross of Merit) | — | — | Federal Republic of Germany | 受章 |
| 1982 | Literature Award of the City of Cologne | — | — | City of Cologne | 受賞 |
| 1983 | Georg Büchner Prize | — | — | German literary awarding bodies (Georg Büchner Prize) | 受賞 |
| 1989 | Culture Award of the City of Kiel | — | — | City of Kiel | 受賞 |
Immermann-Preis
1959
Organization:
Immermann Prize committee (Düsseldorf/related)
Result:
受賞
Georg Marckensen Literature Award
1962
Organization:
Georg Marckensen award body
Result:
受賞
Bundesverdienstkreuz (Federal Cross of Merit)
1981
Organization:
Federal Republic of Germany
Result:
受章
Literature Award of the City of Cologne
1982
Organization:
City of Cologne
Result:
受賞
Georg Büchner Prize
1983
Organization:
German literary awarding bodies (Georg Büchner Prize)
Result:
受賞
Culture Award of the City of Kiel
1989
Organization:
City of Kiel
Result:
受賞
Awards & Nominations
Works
Major Works
Das Begräbnis (The Funeral)
1947 Short storyA short story describing the death and funeral of God: the narrator attends a sparsely attended funeral after receiving an obituary. Themes include loss of faith, guilt, and postwar moral reflection; written in colloquial style with parataxis.
guiltloss of faithpost-war ethics
Als Vaters Bart noch rot war
1958 Short story collection (memoir-like)A collection of stories focusing on the narrator and his father in lower-class Berlin during the 1920s and 1930s, exploring moral questions against the rise of Nazism; some stories became widely taught.
memoryfamilyrise of Nazism
Der Schattenfotograf
1978 Collection (mixed forms: diaries, poems, short prose)A discontiguous collection of diary entries, poems, short stories and letters touching on private material such as his wife's suicide, his illness, and feelings about fatherhood.
personal memorylossguilt
Ein Unglücksfall (An Accident)
1981 NovelSet in 1959 Berlin, the novel follows a glazier's accident and the accompanying feelings of guilt tied to memories of persecution of Jews; it explores responsibility and attempts at atonement.
guiltmemoryatonement
Bibliography
- Das Begräbnis (1947)
- Die Rohrdommel ruft jeden Tag (1950)
- Sternstaub und Sänfte. Aufzeichnungen des Pudels Ali (1953)
- Als Vaters Bart noch rot war (1958)
- Das Los unserer Stadt (1959)
- Der Schattenfotograf (1978)
- Ein Unglücksfall (1981)
Style & Themes
- Literary Style
- colloquial short sentencesparataxisfragmentary, memoir-like composition
- Recurring Motifs
- guiltwar and memorydeath and lossethical dilemmas in everyday life
Health
-
polyneuritis (polyneuropathy)1964–1965Severe onset in 1964 left him largely paralyzed for more than a year; recovery was slow and prolonged hospitalization caused financial strain.
-
heart failure (cause of death)1989Died of heart failure in 1989.
Legacy
Schnurre is regarded as an important post-war German writer and representative of rubble literature. Known especially for his short stories about guilt and memory, his work contributed to post-war ethical debates, though his public profile declined in later years.
Academic Societies
- Gruppe 47 (literary group)
- International PEN (formerly a member)
Archives
- Staatsbibliothek zu Berlin / Kalliope (holds related archival material)
- Haus der Geschichte and related online biographical resources
In Popular Culture
- Published more books between 1945 and 1972 than any other German author in that period; some short stories included in school textbooks.
Quotes
-
“I am of the opinion that the author, in the interest of the balance of his story, does not have the right to solve problems. He has to perceive them, rip them open, push his actors into them.”
Source: Acceptance speech for the Georg Büchner Prize (1983) (1983)
Trivia
- Reportedly published more books than any other German author between 1945 and 1972.
- ‘Das Begräbnis’ was read at both the first and last meetings of Gruppe 47.
- Left detailed funeral instructions requesting no speeches or music and asked for Johann Peter Hebel's 'Unverhofftes Wiedersehen' to be read at the grave.