David Chotjewitz
Encyclopedia
David Chotjewitz is a German
writer and theatre director who lives in Hamburg
.
, where Chotjewitz grew up until 1973. He attended the Italian
primary school and later the German school of Rome. In 1973, he moved with his parents and brother to the small north Hessian village of Kruspis. He attended school in Bad Hersfeld
until 1981, but left without receiving his diploma.
As of 1982, he was trained as a publisher, at first at the Weismann publishing house in Munich
, then in spring of 1984, at the Rowohlt
publishing house in Reinbek
. He was married in 1983 and his daughter, Sarah, was born the same year. His first literary book publication, the collection, Frühreif - Texte aus der Plastiktüte, appeared in spring of 1984. He wrote his first radio play, Geduld Holfstätter oder Der erste Kuß, in 1987. In 1988, he began to translate a novel by Norma Klein
, for the Frankfurt
publisher, Alibaba. In the 1990s, Chotjewitz worked with independent theatre companies in Hamburg and as an assistant director at the Deutsche Schauspielhaus in Hamburg, as well as at the Burgtheater
in Vienna
.
From 1992 to 1994, he studied with the Javanese dance and performance teacher, Suprapto Suryodarmo in Java - see Amerta Movement
. In the following years, he co-operated with the Healing Theatre in Cologne
and the Julia Pascal Company in London
. In 1994, his novel about Albert Einstein
, Das Abenteuer des Denkens (The Adventure of Thinking), was published and received a lot of attention. It has been reprinted several times, last by the Hamburg publisher, Carlsen Verlag
. His award-winning novel for young people, Daniel Halber Mensch, was also published in the USA by Simon and Schuster as Daniel Half Human
and has been quite successful there.
In 1999, Chotjewitz produced his first theatre work, Der einäugige Karpfen, based on a story by Kenzaburō Ōe
. In 2000, he and Christian Concilio founded the youth theatre project, "Theater: Playstation", which staged musical theatre projects such as BLUT on the DANCEFLOOR (BLOOD on the DANCE FLOOR, in a techno-disco) and STIRB, POPSTAR, STIRB (POPSTAR MUST DIE), in cooperation with Kampnagel
Hamburg.
In summer of 2007, he started the project, BEHÖRDE für LIEBLINGSLIEDER (MINISTRY for FAVORITE SONGS). Projects planned for 2008 include a new biographical novel about the young Goethe and a project with youths in Colombia
.
Chotjewitz has received awards such as the literature prize of the city Hamburg in 1996, a grant from the Stiftung Preußische Seehandlung in 1997 and a grant from the Stuttgarter Schriftstellerhaus in 2006. "Daniel Half Human
" received in the USA, among others, a Mildred L. Batchelder Award
(Honor Book).
His Novel "Crazy Diamond
" about a teenaged rockstar, who dies under unclear circumstances, is published in the USA in April 2008
Doris Orgel (from Daniel Half Human and the Good Nazi)
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
writer and theatre director who lives in Hamburg
Hamburg
-History:The first historic name for the city was, according to Claudius Ptolemy's reports, Treva.But the city takes its modern name, Hamburg, from the first permanent building on the site, a castle whose construction was ordered by the Emperor Charlemagne in AD 808...
.
Life
In 1967, his family moved to RomeRome
Rome is the capital of Italy and the country's largest and most populated city and comune, with over 2.7 million residents in . The city is located in the central-western portion of the Italian Peninsula, on the Tiber River within the Lazio region of Italy.Rome's history spans two and a half...
, where Chotjewitz grew up until 1973. He attended the Italian
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
primary school and later the German school of Rome. In 1973, he moved with his parents and brother to the small north Hessian village of Kruspis. He attended school in Bad Hersfeld
Bad Hersfeld
The festival and spa town of Bad Hersfeld is the district seat of Hersfeld-Rotenburg district in northeastern Hesse, Germany, roughly 50 km southeast of Kassel....
until 1981, but left without receiving his diploma.
As of 1982, he was trained as a publisher, at first at the Weismann publishing house in Munich
Munich
Munich The city's motto is "" . Before 2006, it was "Weltstadt mit Herz" . Its native name, , is derived from the Old High German Munichen, meaning "by the monks' place". The city's name derives from the monks of the Benedictine order who founded the city; hence the monk depicted on the city's coat...
, then in spring of 1984, at the Rowohlt
Rowohlt
Rowohlt Verlag is a publishing house based in Reinbek and also Hamburg and Berlin, part of the Georg von Holtzbrinck Group . The company was created in 1908 in Leipzig by Ernst Rowohlt.- Parts of the company :* Kindler Verlag...
publishing house in Reinbek
Reinbek
Reinbek is a town located in Stormarn district in the northern German state of Schleswig-Holstein within the metropolitan region of Hamburg...
. He was married in 1983 and his daughter, Sarah, was born the same year. His first literary book publication, the collection, Frühreif - Texte aus der Plastiktüte, appeared in spring of 1984. He wrote his first radio play, Geduld Holfstätter oder Der erste Kuß, in 1987. In 1988, he began to translate a novel by Norma Klein
Norma Klein
Norma Klein was a US children's book author. She was born, grew up and lived in New York City for most of her life. She died, after a brief illness, in New York City....
, for the Frankfurt
Frankfurt
Frankfurt am Main , commonly known simply as Frankfurt, is the largest city in the German state of Hesse and the fifth-largest city in Germany, with a 2010 population of 688,249. The urban area had an estimated population of 2,300,000 in 2010...
publisher, Alibaba. In the 1990s, Chotjewitz worked with independent theatre companies in Hamburg and as an assistant director at the Deutsche Schauspielhaus in Hamburg, as well as at the Burgtheater
Burgtheater
The Burgtheater , originally known as K.K. Theater an der Burg, then until 1918 as the K.K. Hofburgtheater, is the Austrian National Theatre in Vienna and one of the most important German language theatres in the world.The Burgtheater was created in 1741 and has become known as "die Burg" by the...
in Vienna
Vienna
Vienna is the capital and largest city of the Republic of Austria and one of the nine states of Austria. Vienna is Austria's primary city, with a population of about 1.723 million , and is by far the largest city in Austria, as well as its cultural, economic, and political centre...
.
From 1992 to 1994, he studied with the Javanese dance and performance teacher, Suprapto Suryodarmo in Java - see Amerta Movement
Amerta Movement
Amerta movement is a form of non-stylised movement practice that draws on free movement, the practice of Vipassanā, Javanese Sumarah meditation and Javanese Theravada Buddhism...
. In the following years, he co-operated with the Healing Theatre in Cologne
Cologne
Cologne is Germany's fourth-largest city , and is the largest city both in the Germany Federal State of North Rhine-Westphalia and within the Rhine-Ruhr Metropolitan Area, one of the major European metropolitan areas with more than ten million inhabitants.Cologne is located on both sides of the...
and the Julia Pascal Company in London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
. In 1994, his novel about Albert Einstein
Albert Einstein
Albert Einstein was a German-born theoretical physicist who developed the theory of general relativity, effecting a revolution in physics. For this achievement, Einstein is often regarded as the father of modern physics and one of the most prolific intellects in human history...
, Das Abenteuer des Denkens (The Adventure of Thinking), was published and received a lot of attention. It has been reprinted several times, last by the Hamburg publisher, Carlsen Verlag
Carlsen Verlag
Carlsen Verlag is a subsidiary of the homonymous Danish publishing house which in turn belongs to the Swedish media company Bonnier. The branch was founded on 25 April 1953 in Hamburg. The publisher's program focuses on books for children Carlsen Verlag is a subsidiary of the homonymous Danish...
. His award-winning novel for young people, Daniel Halber Mensch, was also published in the USA by Simon and Schuster as Daniel Half Human
Daniel Half Human
Daniel Half Human is a 2004 novel by David Chotjewitz. It deals with World War II, Nazis, and racism towards Jews during that time....
and has been quite successful there.
In 1999, Chotjewitz produced his first theatre work, Der einäugige Karpfen, based on a story by Kenzaburō Ōe
Kenzaburo Oe
is a Japanese author and a major figure in contemporary Japanese literature. His works, strongly influenced by French and American literature and literary theory, deal with political, social and philosophical issues including nuclear weapons, social non-conformism and existentialism.Ōe was awarded...
. In 2000, he and Christian Concilio founded the youth theatre project, "Theater: Playstation", which staged musical theatre projects such as BLUT on the DANCEFLOOR (BLOOD on the DANCE FLOOR, in a techno-disco) and STIRB, POPSTAR, STIRB (POPSTAR MUST DIE), in cooperation with Kampnagel
Kampnagel
Kampnagel is a theatre in Hamburg, Germany....
Hamburg.
In summer of 2007, he started the project, BEHÖRDE für LIEBLINGSLIEDER (MINISTRY for FAVORITE SONGS). Projects planned for 2008 include a new biographical novel about the young Goethe and a project with youths in Colombia
Colombia
Colombia, officially the Republic of Colombia , is a unitary constitutional republic comprising thirty-two departments. The country is located in northwestern South America, bordered to the east by Venezuela and Brazil; to the south by Ecuador and Peru; to the north by the Caribbean Sea; to the...
.
Chotjewitz has received awards such as the literature prize of the city Hamburg in 1996, a grant from the Stiftung Preußische Seehandlung in 1997 and a grant from the Stuttgarter Schriftstellerhaus in 2006. "Daniel Half Human
Daniel Half Human
Daniel Half Human is a 2004 novel by David Chotjewitz. It deals with World War II, Nazis, and racism towards Jews during that time....
" received in the USA, among others, a Mildred L. Batchelder Award
Mildred L. Batchelder Award
The Mildred L. Batchelder Award, also known as the Batchelder Award, is an award granted annually by the Association for Library Service to Children a division of the American Library Association . The award is named in honor of Mildred L. Batchelder, former director of the ALSC...
(Honor Book).
His Novel "Crazy Diamond
Crazy Diamond
Crazy Diamond is a 1993 triple-CD boxed set of Syd Barrett's two 1970 albums The Madcap Laughs and Barrett, and Opel, an out-takes compilation from 1988...
" about a teenaged rockstar, who dies under unclear circumstances, is published in the USA in April 2008
Works
- Frühreif - Texte aus der Plastiktüte, Munich 1984
- Der erste Kuß oder Geduld, Hofstätter, radio play, Süddeutscher RundfunkSüddeutscher RundfunkThe Süddeutscher Rundfunk was a German radio and television station operating in the northern part of the state of Baden-Württemberg. It existed from 1949 to 1998, when it was merged with the then Südwestfunk to form the Südwestrundfunk....
1987 - Bücher waren ihr Schicksal, radio play, Westdeutscher RundfunkWestdeutscher RundfunkWestdeutscher Rundfunk is a German public-broadcasting institution based in the Federal State of North Rhine-Westphalia with its main office in Cologne. WDR is a constituent member of the consortium of German public-broadcasting institutions, ARD...
1988 - Mitten in der Masse, radio play, Norddeutscher RundfunkNorddeutscher RundfunkNorddeutscher Rundfunk is a public radio and television broadcaster, based in Hamburg. In addition to the city-state of Hamburg, NDR transmits for the German states of Lower Saxony, Mecklenburg-Vorpommern and Schleswig-Holstein...
1989 - Das große Schweigen, radio play, Norddeutscher Rundfunk 1992
- Marie ist tot, das Radio ist aus..., radio play, Radio BremenRadio BremenRadio Bremen , Germany's smallest public radio and television broadcaster, is the legally mandated broadcaster for the city-state of Bremen...
1993 - Daniel - Der kindliche Held, radio play, Radio Bremen 1994
- Das Abenteuer des Denkens, Roman über Albert Einstein, novel, Frankfurt 1994
- Tödliche Safari, Roman, novel, Frankfurt 1995
- Karl MarxKarl MarxKarl Heinrich Marx was a German philosopher, economist, sociologist, historian, journalist, and revolutionary socialist. His ideas played a significant role in the development of social science and the socialist political movement...
- Roman aus dem Leben eines jungen Philosophen, novel, Frankfurt 1996 - Daniel Halber Mensch, novel for young people, Hamburg 2000
- Javanische Schatten, radio play, NDR 2001
- Mr. Pitiful - Das Leben des Otis ReddingOtis ReddingOtis Ray Redding, Jr. was an American soul singer-songwriter, record producer, arranger and talent scout. He is considered one of the major figures in soul and R&B...
, radio feature, SDR 2002 - Daniel Half HumanDaniel Half HumanDaniel Half Human is a 2004 novel by David Chotjewitz. It deals with World War II, Nazis, and racism towards Jews during that time....
, novel for young adults, New York 2003 - Crazy DiamondCrazy DiamondCrazy Diamond is a 1993 triple-CD boxed set of Syd Barrett's two 1970 albums The Madcap Laughs and Barrett, and Opel, an out-takes compilation from 1988...
, novel, Hamburg 2005, New York 2008
Theater works
- Der einäugige Karpfen, based on a story by Kenzaburo Oe, Hamburg 2000
- Die Traumwandler, Hamburg 2001
- BLUT on the DANCEFLOOR, Hamburg 2002
- STIRB, POPSTAR, STIRB, Hamburg 2003
- Boys don't Cry, Hamburg 2005
- Daniel Halber Mensch, Hamburg 2006
Translations
- Norma KleinNorma KleinNorma Klein was a US children's book author. She was born, grew up and lived in New York City for most of her life. She died, after a brief illness, in New York City....
: Familienbande 1988 - Norma Klein: Daddy's Darling 1989
- Norma Klein: Der Weg zurück 1989
- Norma Klein: Madison oder Die Freiheit der Jugen 1990
- Norma Klein: Leda oder die Anfänge der Liebe 1991
- Edith Konnecky: Allegra Maud Goldmann 1992
- Hatty Naylor: Im Pappkarton (radio play) 1992
- Slelagh Stephenson: Fünffaches Schweigen (radio play) 2003
- Doris Orgel: "Daniel Half Human" 2004
Reviews in the internet
- English text about Daniel Halber Mensch on the website of New Books in German
- Review by a young reader about Crazy Diamond in German
- Review of the Einstein novel in German
Doris Orgel (from Daniel Half Human and the Good Nazi)
External links
- Official Web site with some English pages
- Simon and Schuster
- Carlsen Publisher web site in German
- Autobiographical text about his childhood in Rome and Hessen in German
- Carlsen English website