Robert Gernhardt
Encyclopedia
Robert Gernhardt was a German
writer
, painter
, caricaturist and poet
.
and German
in Stuttgart
and Berlin
. He was one of the regular contributors to the satirical magazine Pardon, where he did the section Welt im Spiegel (World in the Mirror) together with F. K. Waechter
and F. W. Bernstein, using the pseudonym Lützel Jeman until 1971.
Gernhardt co-founded the satirical magazine Titanic
in 1979. He is part of the so-called New Frankfurt School together with artists like F. K. Waechter, Chlodwig Poth and Hans Traxler. Gernhardt’s satirical style combines social critique with a self-consciously irreverential attitude to cultural and literary traditions.
His poetry and prose are situated within the comic traditions of Wilhelm Busch
, Christian Morgenstern
, and Joachim Ringelnatz
and the urban poetry of Heinrich Heine
and Bertolt Brecht
. Gernhardt's poems, which frequently produce their comic effects through play with language and sound as well as through playfully quoting literary tradition, have become part of public consciousness in Germany.
During the '70s and '80s, he wrote material for Otto Waalkes
, one of Germany's most popular comedians. A lot of Waalkes' most famous routines have been written by Gernhardt.
In 2006, shortly before his death, he was the Writer in Residence at the German department of the University of Warwick
.
He died on 30 June 2006 in Frankfurt
on Main, after a long fight against cancer, aged 68.
in 1983, in 2002 the Rheingau Literatur Preis
, in 2004 he was awarded the Heinrich-Heine-Preis, and in 2006, the Wilhelm Busch Prize
.
The state-owned bank Helaba
is sponsoring an award named after Gernhardt.
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
Writer
A writer is a person who produces literature, such as novels, short stories, plays, screenplays, poetry, or other literary art. Skilled writers are able to use language to portray ideas and images....
, painter
Painting
Painting is the practice of applying paint, pigment, color or other medium to a surface . The application of the medium is commonly applied to the base with a brush but other objects can be used. In art, the term painting describes both the act and the result of the action. However, painting is...
, caricaturist and poet
Poet
A poet is a person who writes poetry. A poet's work can be literal, meaning that his work is derived from a specific event, or metaphorical, meaning that his work can take on many meanings and forms. Poets have existed since antiquity, in nearly all languages, and have produced works that vary...
.
Life
Robert Gernhardt studied PaintingPainting
Painting is the practice of applying paint, pigment, color or other medium to a surface . The application of the medium is commonly applied to the base with a brush but other objects can be used. In art, the term painting describes both the act and the result of the action. However, painting is...
and German
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...
in Stuttgart
Stuttgart
Stuttgart is the capital of the state of Baden-Württemberg in southern Germany. The sixth-largest city in Germany, Stuttgart has a population of 600,038 while the metropolitan area has a population of 5.3 million ....
and Berlin
Berlin
Berlin is the capital city of Germany and is one of the 16 states of Germany. With a population of 3.45 million people, Berlin is Germany's largest city. It is the second most populous city proper and the seventh most populous urban area in the European Union...
. He was one of the regular contributors to the satirical magazine Pardon, where he did the section Welt im Spiegel (World in the Mirror) together with F. K. Waechter
F. K. Waechter
Friedrich Karl Waechter was a renowned German cartoonist, author, and playwright.-Life:Waechter was born in Danzig as a son of a teacher...
and F. W. Bernstein, using the pseudonym Lützel Jeman until 1971.
Gernhardt co-founded the satirical magazine Titanic
Titanic (magazine)
Titanic is a German monthly satirical magazine based in Frankfurt. It has a circulation of approximately 100,000.- History :Titanic was founded in 1979 by former contributors and editors of Pardon, a satirical monthly, which the group had left after conflicts with its publisher...
in 1979. He is part of the so-called New Frankfurt School together with artists like F. K. Waechter, Chlodwig Poth and Hans Traxler. Gernhardt’s satirical style combines social critique with a self-consciously irreverential attitude to cultural and literary traditions.
His poetry and prose are situated within the comic traditions of Wilhelm Busch
Wilhelm Busch
Wilhelm Busch was an influential German caricaturist, painter, and poet who is famed for his satirical picture stories with rhymed texts....
, Christian Morgenstern
Christian Morgenstern
Christian Otto Josef Wolfgang Morgenstern was a German author and poet from Munich. Morgenstern married Margareta Gosebruch von Liechtenstern on March 7, 1910...
, and Joachim Ringelnatz
Joachim Ringelnatz
Joachim Ringelnatz is the pen name of the German author and painter Hans Bötticher. His pen name Ringelnatz is usually explained as a dialect expression for an animal, possibly a variant of Ringelnatter, German for Grass Snake...
and the urban poetry of Heinrich Heine
Heinrich Heine
Christian Johann Heinrich Heine was one of the most significant German poets of the 19th century. He was also a journalist, essayist, and literary critic. He is best known outside Germany for his early lyric poetry, which was set to music in the form of Lieder by composers such as Robert Schumann...
and Bertolt Brecht
Bertolt Brecht
Bertolt Brecht was a German poet, playwright, and theatre director.An influential theatre practitioner of the 20th century, Brecht made equally significant contributions to dramaturgy and theatrical production, the latter particularly through the seismic impact of the tours undertaken by the...
. Gernhardt's poems, which frequently produce their comic effects through play with language and sound as well as through playfully quoting literary tradition, have become part of public consciousness in Germany.
During the '70s and '80s, he wrote material for Otto Waalkes
Otto Waalkes
Otto Gerhard Waalkes is a Frisian comedian and actor. He became famous in the 1970s and 1980s in Germany with his shows, books and movies. His perhaps most famous trademark are the 'Ottifanten' , elephant-like comic characters of his own design...
, one of Germany's most popular comedians. A lot of Waalkes' most famous routines have been written by Gernhardt.
In 2006, shortly before his death, he was the Writer in Residence at the German department of the University of Warwick
University of Warwick
The University of Warwick is a public research university located in Coventry, United Kingdom...
.
He died on 30 June 2006 in 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...
on Main, after a long fight against cancer, aged 68.
Awards
He won the Deutscher JugendliteraturpreisDeutscher Jugendliteraturpreis
The Deutscher Jugendliteraturpreis is an annual award established in 1956 by the Federal Ministry of Family Affairs, Senior Citizens, Women and Youth to recognise outstanding works of children's literature. It is Germany's only state-funded literary award. In the past, authors from many countries...
in 1983, in 2002 the Rheingau Literatur Preis
Rheingau Literatur Preis
Rheingau Literatur Preis is a literary prize of Hesse. It is awarded annually since 1994 by the Rheingau Literatur Festival which follows the Rheingau Musik Festival...
, in 2004 he was awarded the Heinrich-Heine-Preis, and in 2006, the Wilhelm Busch Prize
Wilhelm Busch Prize
The Wilhelm-Busch Prize is an annual poetry award for 10,000 €, and Wilheim-Busch Prize for 1,500 €, for humorous and satirical verse, administered by the Schaumberger Landschaft.Since 2006 there is an additional Wilhelm Busch Award....
.
The state-owned bank Helaba
Helaba
Helaba short for Hessische Landesbank Landesbank Hessen-Thüringen is a commercial bank with core regions in Hesse and Thuringia, Germany...
is sponsoring an award named after Gernhardt.