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Ich glaube nicht an die Sprache: Herta Müller im Gespräch mit Renata Schmidtkunz
61 pages, Audio CD
First published November 9, 2009
21 people want to read
About the author
Herta Müller
106 books1,244 followersHerta Müller was born in Niţchidorf, Timiş County, Romania, the daughter of Swabian farmers. Her family was part of Romania's German minority and her mother was deported to a labour camp in the Soviet Union after World War II.
She read German studies and Romanian literature at Timişoara University. In 1976, Müller began working as a translator for an engineering company, but in 1979 was dismissed for her refusal to cooperate with the Securitate, the Communist regime's secret police. Initially, she made a living by teaching kindergarten and giving private German lessons.
Her first book was published in Romania (in German) in 1982, and appeared only in a censored version, as with most publications of the time.
In 1987, Müller left for Germany with her husband, novelist Richard Wagner. Over the following years she received many lectureships at universities in Germany and abroad.
In 1995 Müller was awarded membership to the German Academy for Writing and Poetry, and other positions followed. In 1997 she withdrew from the PEN centre of Germany in protest of its merge with the former German Democratic Republic branch.
The Swedish Academy awarded the 2009 Nobel Prize in Literature to Müller, "who, with the concentration of poetry and the frankness of prose, depicts the landscape of the dispossessed".
She currently resides in Berlin, Germany.
She read German studies and Romanian literature at Timişoara University. In 1976, Müller began working as a translator for an engineering company, but in 1979 was dismissed for her refusal to cooperate with the Securitate, the Communist regime's secret police. Initially, she made a living by teaching kindergarten and giving private German lessons.
Her first book was published in Romania (in German) in 1982, and appeared only in a censored version, as with most publications of the time.
In 1987, Müller left for Germany with her husband, novelist Richard Wagner. Over the following years she received many lectureships at universities in Germany and abroad.
In 1995 Müller was awarded membership to the German Academy for Writing and Poetry, and other positions followed. In 1997 she withdrew from the PEN centre of Germany in protest of its merge with the former German Democratic Republic branch.
The Swedish Academy awarded the 2009 Nobel Prize in Literature to Müller, "who, with the concentration of poetry and the frankness of prose, depicts the landscape of the dispossessed".
She currently resides in Berlin, Germany.
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July 13, 2014
A long interview with Herta Müller, with cd. This pleased me, it was pleasant to hear her voice and read her words at the same time. There wasn't much news, but the ending was so sweet (it sounds strange, to use that word for her). Also pleasant to find I can disagree with a writer on a crucial point and still like her. Have some words:
"Ich glaube nicht an die Sprache. Ich glaube, sonst wäre ich nicht Schriftstellerin. Das funktioniert auch nur so. Außerdem habe ich jahrzehntelang in einer Diktatur gelebt. Also, ich misstraue der Sprache zutiefst, und ich suche Sprache, weil ich ihr nicht traue. Und weil ich auch gar nicht weiß, wie man das sagt, was passierte,. Das Leben will ja nicht aufgeschrieben werden. Man lebt ja nicht, damit es aufgeschrieben wird, Gott sei Dank. Also ist es etwas total Künstliches. Also, für mich ist das selbstverständlich, dass ich der Sprache nicht traue."
"Ich glaube, 'Heimat' ist das, was man nicht aushält und nicht los wird."
"Ich glaube nicht an die Sprache. Ich glaube, sonst wäre ich nicht Schriftstellerin. Das funktioniert auch nur so. Außerdem habe ich jahrzehntelang in einer Diktatur gelebt. Also, ich misstraue der Sprache zutiefst, und ich suche Sprache, weil ich ihr nicht traue. Und weil ich auch gar nicht weiß, wie man das sagt, was passierte,. Das Leben will ja nicht aufgeschrieben werden. Man lebt ja nicht, damit es aufgeschrieben wird, Gott sei Dank. Also ist es etwas total Künstliches. Also, für mich ist das selbstverständlich, dass ich der Sprache nicht traue."
"Ich glaube, 'Heimat' ist das, was man nicht aushält und nicht los wird."
Displaying 1 of 1 review