Adolf Muschg
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Adolf Muschg
Muschg, Adolf (Zollikon, Canton Zurich, Switzerland, 1934- ), studied Germanistic, English, and philosophy in Zurich, spending one year in Cambridge, and went on to complete a doctoral thesis on Ernst Barlach in 1959. Working first as a schoolteacher, and then at the universities of Tokyo, Göttingen, New York, and Geneva, he eventually settled in Zurich where he became a professor of Germanistic at the Eidgenössische Technische Hochschule in 1970. In addition to his teaching, Muschg actively involved himself in the Swiss Social Democratic Party and with numerous cultural and political issues.
His scope as a writer is wide. He made his debut in 1965 with Im Sommer des Hasen, a novel set against the unusual and exotic background of Japan, and immediately attracted attention as a writer of outstanding linguistic virtuosity, after which his two collections of stories, Fremdkörper (1968) and Liebesgeschichten (1972), established him as a master of the short story: they are characterized by their realistic attention to detail, their psychological sharpness, and their darkly disturbing conclusions. Several novels followed, including the psychological detective story Albissers Grund (1974), the China-based Baiyun oder die Freundschaftsgesellschaft (1980), the contemporary vampire story Das Licht und der Schlüssel (1984), and Der rote Ritter (1993), an extended modern rendering of the original Parzival myth. These are complex works which met with a mixed reception.
Other works include a number of plays, notably Die Aufgeregten von Goethe (1971) and Kellers Abend (1975), the radio play Das Kerbelgericht (1969), studies and essays on literary and political themes, and a biography, Gottfried Keller (1977). In his lectures delivered at Frankfurt University (Gastdozentur für Poetik), entitled Literatur als Therapie? (1981), he encourages a characteristically stimulating debate.
Muschg has received a number of honours including the Hesse Prize (1974), the Carl-Zuckmayer-Medal (1990), and the Büchner Prize (1994).
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Adolf Muschg
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Adolf Muschg
| Adolf Muschg | |
|---|---|
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| Born | 13 May 1934 Zollikon |
| Died | Living |
| Occupation | Writer, professor |
Adolf Muschg (born 13 May 1934 in Zollikon, canton of Zurich) is a Swiss writer and professor of literature. Muschg was a member of the Gruppe Olten.
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His life
Adolf Muschg studied German studies, English studies and philosophy at the universities of Zürich and Cambridge and earned his doctoral degree with a work about Ernst Barlach.
Between 1959 and 1962 he worked as a teacher in Zürich. Different engagements as a teacher followed in Germany (Göttingen), Japan and the U.S.. From 1970 to 1999 Muschg was professor of German language and literature at the Eidgenössische Technische Hochschule, Zürich.
He wrote the foreword to Fritz Zorn’s controversial memoirs Mars. The book pointed out the supposedly “cancer-causing” lifestyle of Zurich’s wealthy gold coast and provoked a scandal in Switzerland; its author died of cancer before its release. Muschg was also provocative with works like Wenn Auschwitz in der Schweiz liegt ("If Auschwitz were in Switzerland"). His detractors[who?] suggest that Muschg was writing without direct experience. A theme of his newer works is often love in old age.
Since 1976 he has been a member of the Akademie der Künste, Berlin; he is also a member of the Akademie der Wissenschaften und der Literatur, Mainz and the Deutsche Akademie für Sprache und Dichtung, Darmstadt. In 2003 he was elected president of the Akademie der Künste, Berlin. He left the presidency in December 2005 because of disagreements with the Academy's senate about public relations.
He lives in Männedorf near Zürich.
Awards
- 1968 Conrad-Ferdinand-Meyer-Price
- 1974 Hermann-Hesse-Price
- 1984 Zurich Literature Price
- 1990 Carl-Zuckmayer-Medal
- 1993 Ricarda-Huch-Price
- 1994 Georg-Büchner-Price
- 2001 Grimmelshausen-Price
Works
- Im Sommer des Hasen, 1965
- Gegenzauber, 1967
- Fremdkörper, 1968
- Rumpelstilz. Ein kleinbürgerliches Trauerspiel, 1968
- Mitgespielt, 1969
- Papierwände, 1970
- Die Aufgeregten von Goethe. Ein politisches Drama, 1971
- Liebesgeschichte, 1972
- Albissers Grund, crime novel, 1974
- Entfernte Bekannte, 1976
- Kellers Abend. Ein Stück aus dem 19. Jahrhundert, 1976
- Noch ein Wunsch, 1979
- Baiyun oder die Freundschaftsgesellschaft, 1980
- Leib und Leben, 1982
- Das Licht und der Schlüssel. Erziehungsroman eines Vampirs, novel, 1984
- Goethe als Emigrant, 1986
- Der Turmhahn und andere Lebensgeschichten, 1987
- Der Rote Ritter. Eine Geschichte von Parzival, 1993
- Herr, was fehlt euch? Zusprüche und Nachreden aus dem Sprechzimmer eines heiligen Grals, 1994
- Nur ausziehen wollte sie sich nicht, 1995
- Die Insel, die Kolumbus nicht gefunden hat. Sieben Gesichter Japans, 1995
- O mein Heimatland!, 1998
- Sutters Glück, 2001
- Das gefangene Lächeln. Eine Erzählung, 2002
- Gehen kann ich allein und andere Liebesgeschichten, 2003
- Der Schein trügt nicht. Ueber Goethe, 2004
- Eikan, du bist spät, 2005
Other Works
- Gottfried Keller, biography, 1977
- Wenn Auschwitz in der Schweiz liegt, 1997
Voice Recordings
- Baiyun oder die Freundschaftsgesellschaft; Läufer und Brücken - eine unveröffentlichte Erzählung. Ausschnitte aus der Lesung in Hoser's Buchhandlung am 4. Oktober 1979 (Hoser's Buchhandlung, Stuttgart, ohne Nummer) (1 LP) ISBN 3-921414-05-9
Literature
- Manfred Dierks (Hrsg.): Adolf Muschg. Suhrkamp-Verlag, Frankfurt am Main 1989, ISBN 3-518-38586-0.
- Judith Ricker-Abderhalden (Hrsg.): Über Adolf Muschg. Suhrkamp-Verlag, Frankfurt am Main 1979, ISBN 3-518-10686-4.
- Rüdiger Schaper: Wer im Glashaus schwitzt. Akademie-Präsident Adolf Muschg gibt auf. In: Der Tagesspiegel Nr. 19047, Berlin, 16. Dezember 2005; S. 25.
- Renate Voris: Adolf Muschg. C.H. Beck Verlag, München 1984. ISBN 3-406-30165-7.
- Alexandre Mirlesse: En attendant l'Europe (Rencontre avec Adolf Muschg). La Contre Allée, Lille 2009, ISBN 978-2-917817-01-8.
External links
- Adolf Muschg in the German National Library catalogue (German)
- Portrait of the author by Suhrkamp Verlag
- Information by the ETH Zurich
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The Oxford Companion to German Literature. Copyright © 1976, 1986, 1997, 2005 by Oxford University Press. All rights reserved.
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