Elfriede Jelinek is the younger counterpart
of Austrian playwright Thomas
Bernhard. As Bernhard she is at the same time a highly
acclaimed writer (especially abroad) and proverbial Beelzebub
abused for her critical views (especially in Austria). Her
prose and plays are controversial, to put it nicely.
Be that as it may, Elfriede Jelinek is one of the most influental
contemporary writers.
Prevalent topics in her prose and dramatic work are
female sexuality, its abuse and the war of sexes in generall.
Texts like 'wir sind lockvögel, baby' (we are decoy,
baby), 'Die Liebhaberinnen' (lovers) or 'Die Klavierspielerin'
(The Pianist) illustrate her point nicely and shock the readers
with the unemotional description of brutallity and power play
in human relations. According to Jelinek, power and aggression
are the driving forces of relationships.
Her novel 'Lust' is a pornographic describtion of sexuality,
agression and abuse. It did not go too well with the critics.
Rather than the plot itself it is the cold describtion of
moral failures that irritates and haunts you.
In her later work, Jelinek somewhat abandones female issues
to focus her energy on social criticism in general.
Her plays are taciturn, yet lavish productions with an emphasis
on choreography like 'Sportstück' which explores
the issue of violence and fascism in sports.
Jelinek's novel 'Die Klavierspielerin'
was turned into an acclaimed movie by Austrian director
Michael Haneke with Isabelle Huppert playing the
repressed pianist.
In October 2004 Elfriede Jelinek has won the Nobel price
for literature. The price was awarded "for her musical
flow of voices and counter-voices in novels and plays that
with extraordinary linguistic zeal reveal the absurdity of
society's clichés and their subjugating power".
She is the first Austrian writer to be honoured with a Nobel
price for literature!
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