Frank Schirrmacher
Encyclopedia
Frank Schirrmacher is a German
journalist, doctored literature expert and essayist, writer, and since 1994 co-publisher of the national German newspaper Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung
.
, and philosophy
in Heidelberg
and Cambridge
, Schirrmacher joined the FAZ as editor of the Feuilleton
in 1985. In 1988, he received his doctorate
for a work about Franz Kafka
at the University of Siegen
.
as the director of the editorial staff FAZ Feuilleton a supplement of the FAZ on the arts. In 1994 he succeeded Joachim Fest
as one of the five publishers of the newspaper, responsible for the Feuilleton, Science and other parts. Schirrmacher supports expanding this section to include science
. Popular culture
has also been dealt with more since Schirrmacher has been with the FAZ.
As the press boomed around 2000, Schirrmacher expanded the feuilleton a lot, also recruiting journalists from other newspapers. A few years later, he was, however, forced to reduce the number of pages of the feuilleton and to lay off employees, for the first time in the history of the FAZ. In 2001 he was among the founders of the "Frankfurter Allgemeine Sonntagszeitung", an influential Sunday newspaper, that within 3 years raised circulation to more than 1 million readers (2007).
and brain research
and about the low birth rates in Germany and Europe
, for example. Newsweek named him one of the leading intellectuals, Ray Kurzweil calls Schirrmacher one of the "big thinkers".
Frank Schirrmacher's roasting of Martin Walser
's novel Tod eines Kritikers in 2002 caused a stir in the German press. Schirrmacher claimed the book contained anti-Semitic passages. He had reviewed the book before it came out, so the publishers changed the novel before publishing it, the first time a book review
had this effect in German history.
In 2004, Schirrmacher published the bestselling book Das Methusalem-Komplott, published in 14 languages selling more than 1 Million copies in Germany, prognosticating the ageing of society as a result of low birth rates and calling for an "uprising of the old". He received the Goldene Feder award for this book. In 2006, Minimum was published, which became a bestseller too. The title refers to Schirrmacher's analysis of the effects of the dissolving of the family
as the smallest cell of society and the resulting diminution of social relationships to a minimum. To prove the superiority of the family, he cites the event of the Donner Party
, resorted to cannibalism. Critics claimed that he exaggerated the statistics and that he supported a conservative view of the family. Through a clever campaign, which included publishing some passages in Der Spiegel
and Bild-Zeitung
, the book caused another medial debate about the topic.
In a 2006 interview with Schirrmacher, Nobel laureate Günter Grass
in admitted to have served in the Waffen-SS as a young man. Grass made the admission in a conversation with Frank Schirrmacher referring to his new autobiography, "Peeling Onions", said he was drafted at the age of 17 into the Waffen-SS—the combat force of the SS—in the final months of World War II. The interview stirred up a worldwide debate and forced Grass' publisher to publish the book earlier than intended.
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...
journalist, doctored literature expert and essayist, writer, and since 1994 co-publisher of the national German newspaper Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung
Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung
The Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung , short F.A.Z., also known as the FAZ, is a national German newspaper, founded in 1949. It is published daily in Frankfurt am Main. The Sunday edition is the Frankfurter Allgemeine Sonntagszeitung .F.A.Z...
.
Education
After studying Germanistics, English studiesEnglish studies
English studies is an academic discipline that includes the study of literatures written in the English language , English linguistics English studies is an academic discipline that includes the study of literatures written in the English language (including literatures from the U.K., U.S.,...
, and philosophy
Philosophy
Philosophy is the study of general and fundamental problems, such as those connected with existence, knowledge, values, reason, mind, and language. Philosophy is distinguished from other ways of addressing such problems by its critical, generally systematic approach and its reliance on rational...
in Heidelberg
Heidelberg
-Early history:Between 600,000 and 200,000 years ago, "Heidelberg Man" died at nearby Mauer. His jaw bone was discovered in 1907; with scientific dating, his remains were determined to be the earliest evidence of human life in Europe. In the 5th century BC, a Celtic fortress of refuge and place of...
and Cambridge
Cambridge
The city of Cambridge is a university town and the administrative centre of the county of Cambridgeshire, England. It lies in East Anglia about north of London. Cambridge is at the heart of the high-technology centre known as Silicon Fen – a play on Silicon Valley and the fens surrounding the...
, Schirrmacher joined the FAZ as editor of the Feuilleton
Feuilleton
Feuilleton was originally a kind of supplement attached to the political portion of French newspapers, consisting chiefly of non-political news and gossip, literature and art criticism, a chronicle of the latest fashions, and epigrams, charades and other literary trifles...
in 1985. In 1988, he received his doctorate
Doctorate
A doctorate is an academic degree or professional degree that in most countries refers to a class of degrees which qualify the holder to teach in a specific field, A doctorate is an academic degree or professional degree that in most countries refers to a class of degrees which qualify the holder...
for a work about Franz Kafka
Franz Kafka
Franz Kafka was a culturally influential German-language author of short stories and novels. Contemporary critics and academics, including Vladimir Nabokov, regard Kafka as one of the best writers of the 20th century...
at the University of Siegen
University of Siegen
The University of Siegen in Siegen, North Rhine-Westphalia, was founded in 1972. 14,100 students were enrolled at the university as of October 2010.-Faculties:University of Siegen offers in total 126 degree programmes across four faculties:...
.
Editor and publisher FAZ
In 1989, he succeeded Marcel Reich-RanickiMarcel Reich-Ranicki
Marcel Reich-Ranicki is a Polish-born German literary critic and member of the literary group Gruppe 47. He is regarded as one of the most influential contemporary literary critics in the field of German literature and therefore was in Germany often called the 'Pope of literature' .-Life:Marcel...
as the director of the editorial staff FAZ Feuilleton a supplement of the FAZ on the arts. In 1994 he succeeded Joachim Fest
Joachim Fest
Joachim Clemens Fest was a German historian, journalist, critic and editor, best known for his writings and public commentary on Nazi Germany, including an important biography of Adolf Hitler and books about Albert Speer and the German Resistance...
as one of the five publishers of the newspaper, responsible for the Feuilleton, Science and other parts. Schirrmacher supports expanding this section to include science
Science
Science is a systematic enterprise that builds and organizes knowledge in the form of testable explanations and predictions about the universe...
. Popular culture
Popular culture
Popular culture is the totality of ideas, perspectives, attitudes, memes, images and other phenomena that are deemed preferred per an informal consensus within the mainstream of a given culture, especially Western culture of the early to mid 20th century and the emerging global mainstream of the...
has also been dealt with more since Schirrmacher has been with the FAZ.
As the press boomed around 2000, Schirrmacher expanded the feuilleton a lot, also recruiting journalists from other newspapers. A few years later, he was, however, forced to reduce the number of pages of the feuilleton and to lay off employees, for the first time in the history of the FAZ. In 2001 he was among the founders of the "Frankfurter Allgemeine Sonntagszeitung", an influential Sunday newspaper, that within 3 years raised circulation to more than 1 million readers (2007).
Debates encouraged
Schirrmacher has always managed to determine what controversial topics are discussed in the German public, the debates about genetic engineeringGenetic engineering
Genetic engineering, also called genetic modification, is the direct human manipulation of an organism's genome using modern DNA technology. It involves the introduction of foreign DNA or synthetic genes into the organism of interest...
and brain research
Neurology
Neurology is a medical specialty dealing with disorders of the nervous system. Specifically, it deals with the diagnosis and treatment of all categories of disease involving the central, peripheral, and autonomic nervous systems, including their coverings, blood vessels, and all effector tissue,...
and about the low birth rates in Germany and Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
, for example. Newsweek named him one of the leading intellectuals, Ray Kurzweil calls Schirrmacher one of the "big thinkers".
Frank Schirrmacher's roasting of Martin Walser
Martin Walser
At first the speech did not cause a great stir. Indeed, the audience present in Church of St. Paul received the speech with applause, though Walser's critic Ignatz Bubis did not applaud, as confirmed by television footage of the event...
's novel Tod eines Kritikers in 2002 caused a stir in the German press. Schirrmacher claimed the book contained anti-Semitic passages. He had reviewed the book before it came out, so the publishers changed the novel before publishing it, the first time a book review
Book review
A book review is a form of literary criticism in which a book is analyzed based on content, style, and merit. A book review could be a primary source opinion piece, summary review or scholarly review. It is often carried out in periodicals, as school work, or on the internet. Reviews are also often...
had this effect in German history.
In 2004, Schirrmacher published the bestselling book Das Methusalem-Komplott, published in 14 languages selling more than 1 Million copies in Germany, prognosticating the ageing of society as a result of low birth rates and calling for an "uprising of the old". He received the Goldene Feder award for this book. In 2006, Minimum was published, which became a bestseller too. The title refers to Schirrmacher's analysis of the effects of the dissolving of the family
Family
In human context, a family is a group of people affiliated by consanguinity, affinity, or co-residence. In most societies it is the principal institution for the socialization of children...
as the smallest cell of society and the resulting diminution of social relationships to a minimum. To prove the superiority of the family, he cites the event of the Donner Party
Donner Party
The Donner Party was a group of American pioneers who set out for California in a wagon train. Delayed by a series of mishaps, they spent the winter of 1846–47 snowbound in the Sierra Nevada...
, resorted to cannibalism. Critics claimed that he exaggerated the statistics and that he supported a conservative view of the family. Through a clever campaign, which included publishing some passages in Der Spiegel
Der Spiegel
Der Spiegel is a German weekly news magazine published in Hamburg. It is one of Europe's largest publications of its kind, with a weekly circulation of more than one million.-Overview:...
and Bild-Zeitung
Bild-Zeitung
The Bild is a German tabloid published by Axel Springer AG. The paper is published from Monday to Saturday, while on Sundays, Bild am Sonntag is published instead, which has a different style and its own editors...
, the book caused another medial debate about the topic.
In a 2006 interview with Schirrmacher, Nobel laureate Günter Grass
Günter Grass
Günter Wilhelm Grass is a Nobel Prize-winning German author, poet, playwright, sculptor and artist.He was born in the Free City of Danzig...
in admitted to have served in the Waffen-SS as a young man. Grass made the admission in a conversation with Frank Schirrmacher referring to his new autobiography, "Peeling Onions", said he was drafted at the age of 17 into the Waffen-SS—the combat force of the SS—in the final months of World War II. The interview stirred up a worldwide debate and forced Grass' publisher to publish the book earlier than intended.