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sascha-kokot_ilb.jpg)
© Sascha Kokot / ilb
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Clemens Meyer
Germany
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Clemens Meyer was born in
Halle/Saale in 1977 and grew up in Leipzig. On leaving school he worked
as a construction aid, furniture transporter and watchman. He studied
at the German Literature Institute in Leipzig from 1998 to 2003 and in
2002 received a literature grant from the Saxon Ministry for Art and
Science. One year later he was the first writer in residence of the
»book village« Mühlbeck-Friedersdorf. Having been awarded first place
in the 2001 MDR literary competition, he received second prize for the
short story »Nachspielzeit« (t: Injury time) two years later.
After publishing texts in various anthologies Meyer presented his first
novel in 2006, entitled »Als wir träumten« (t: As we dreamed). The
novel revolves around the memories and experiences of the narrator
Daniel Lenz, who probes freedom with his clique in Leipzig's east
immediately after the collapse of the Wall. Alcohol, drugs and
misdemeanors of various kinds are the stuff of what Daniel's days and
nights are made of. »Als wir träumten« tells the story of teenagers
whose transition into adulthood is doomed. There is only one certainty
for them – that life is a struggle. Nevertheless they daydream, going
out in search of fun. The former Young Pioneers, soon to be Crash Kids,
thus trudge through the nocturnal streets of Leipzig. In order to
understand these characters it is essential to consider their
relationship towards violence. Petty crimes – auto jacks, theft, bodily
harm – violence, used in states of affect, are the main influences on
these youths' attitudes and behaviour. The battles between »ticks« and
»baldies«, in other words between the Left and the Right, is not
politically motivated – it is the turf war of a young generation that
cultivates the »rebel chic«; for example, when the protagonist says he
feels »better than James Dean, although it hurt«. The depictions of
violence are contrasted with sentimentally loaded relationships between
the protagonists. The code of honour among prison inmates, in which the
motif of betrayal is already present, extends from the blood
brotherhood of Indian games.
As for »hard-boiled« narrators, Meyer's mentors all bear American
names: Hemingway, Chandler, Carver are the »godfathers« of his terse
story-telling. The novel's style, rich in dialogue, is laconic, with
gaps and shortfalls. The characters and material of disillusionment,
the margins of the city and society provide the mould that shapes the
author. Meyer lives in Leipzig, in the neighbourhood that provides the
novel's setting. To date he has found the material for his writings in
his immediate surroundings: »Emile Zola wandered through derelict
quarters in search of writing material, and I live there.«
Meyer was awarded the Prize of the Leipzig Bookfair for his collection
of short stories, »Die Nacht, die Lichter« (2008) in 2008.
© internationales literaturfestival berlin
BIBLIOGRAPHY:
Als wir träumten
Fischer
Frankfurt/Main, 2006
Die Nacht, die Lichter
Fischer
Frankfurt/Main, 2008 |
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