Rainald Maria Goetz (born 24 May 1954, in Munich) is a German author, playwright and essayist.

Rainald Goetz, 2012

Biography

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After studying History and Medicine in Munich and earning a degree (PhD and M.D) in each, he soon concentrated on his writing.

His first published works, especially his novel Irre ("Insane"), published in 1983, made him a cult author of the intellectual left. To the delight of his fans and the dismay of some critics, he mixed neo-expressionist writing with social realism in the vein of Alfred Döblin and the fast pace of British pop writers such as Julie Burchill. During a televised literary event in 1983, Goetz slit his own forehead with a razor blade and let the blood run down his face until he finished reading.[1]

Goetz has the reputation of an enthusiastic observer of media and pop culture. He has embraced avant-garde [citation needed] philosophers such as Foucault and Luhmann as well as the DJs of the techno movement, especially Sven Väth.[2]

He kept a blog in 1998–99 called Abfall für alle ("rubbish for everybody"), which was later published as a book.

Goetz has won numerous literary awards.

Awards and honors

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Selected works

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  • Irre (1983), the novel which made him famous. English translation titled Insane.
  • Krieg ("War") (1986). Three plays.
  • Kontrolliert ("Controlled") (1988).
  • Festung (1993). Plays.
  • 1989 (1993), a collage of media from the years of the German Reunification, 1989–90.
  • Rave (1998).
  • Jeff Koons (1998).
  • Abfall für alle ("Rubbish for everyone") (1999).
  • Klage ("Complaint") (2008).
  • Johann Holtrop (2012).

References

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  1. ^ "DIE LUST AM ERZÄHLEN" 25 Jahre Ingeborg-Bachmann-Preis Archived 6 July 2011 at the Wayback Machine, bachmannpreis.orf.at
  2. ^ Schmitt, Niklas (2018). Subito : Gegenwart in Rainald Goetz' Heute Morgen-Komplex (in German). University of Bamberg Press. Bamberg. pp. 31, 35, 57. ISBN 978-3-86309-529-1. OCLC 1020574591.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)
  3. ^ "Rainald Goetz: Top German literature prize goes to edgy ex-doctor". Deutsche Welle. 8 July 2015. Retrieved 9 July 2015.
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