Guest of the ilb 2001
Wilhelm Genazino was born in Mannheim in 1943.
After a period of voluntary training with 'Rhein-Neckar-Zeitung'
in Heidelberg and Mannheim, he studied German, Philosophy and Sociology
in Frankfurt am Main. He worked as a freelance journalist for
different newspapers and magazines, including the satirical monthly,
'pardon', before settling in Frankfurt am Main as a freelance writer in
1971. Following his unsung debut with the novel 'Laslinstraße' in
1965, Genazino became known as a writer of radio plays and
sketches. He collaborated on some of these with the comedy writer
Peter Knorr. The two authors founded the Literatur-Coop literary
agency in 1971. Genazino achieved a breakthrough as a serious
writer with his trilogy 'Abschaffel' (1977), 'Die Vernichtung der
Sorgen' (1978) and 'Falsche Jahre' (1979), which has been followed by
numerous other novels as well as prose and essay volumes.
From 1980 to 1986 Genazino was also publisher and editor of the
literary magazine 'Lesezeichen'. He is a member of the Academy
for Language and Poetry in Darmstadt, and in 1996 he served
symbolically as Bergen-Enkheim chronicler. He won the Großer
Literaturpreis der Bayerischen Akademie der Schönen Künste in 1998, and
other awards. In 2004 he received the prestigious
Georg-Büchner-Preis. In 2005/06 he was Writer in Residence of Frankfurt
University.
His so-called white-collar novels of the 1970s adhered to the tradition
of critical realism. His 'Phenomenology of Everyday Life' focuses
on alienation, identity crises and the loss of reality from the
perspective of those who work in an open-plan office. These
themes also dominate his novels after the 'Abschaffel' trilogy,
'Ausschweifung' (1981) and 'Fremde Kämpfe' (1984). It is not
until 'Der Fleck, die Jacke, die Zimmer, der Schmerz' in 1989 that
Genazino starts to reject the sociological deterministic standpoint and
accept a more individualistic version of everyday life and writing
style. According to the author, the protagonists of his recent
novels "know how difficult it is to be independent, which also means to
feel and think independently", but they try "with some success".
In search of an adequate expression for emotional processes, of
the speechlessness which we experience in everyday life, the poet
offers us countless reflections and contemplations on seemingly
inconspicuous 'events', on encounters with words, objects and people
without names.
In his novel, 'Die Kassiererinnen' (1998), Genazino follows the trail
of an ageing big-city stroller, who tries to come to terms with his
relationship to the world by analyzing 'ridiculous' situations and by
developing strategies to avoid them. Genazino illustrates the
close link between narrative and memory in his 2000 'Album' 'Auf der
Kippe'. Each photo introduced here – the author claims to have
acquired them "at flea markets, from second-hand dealers and in antique
shops" – relates to a contemplation, a possible memory of a forgotten
event. According to Genazino, telling a story puts an end to the
"fate of oblivion" and gives the "dignity of documents" back to
pictures. He recently published the novel "Mittelmäßiges Heimweh"
(2007) and "Lieber Gott mach mich blind" and "Der Hausschrat"
(2006), two plays in one volume.
The author lives in Heidelberg.
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