Posted on 06/26/2006 11:04:21 AM PDT by Bokababe
Peter Handke has once again shocked the German public but this time in such a way that not even the most extreme do not dare criticize him for it. He has given up the alternative Heinrich Heine award that the actors and intellectuals of Berlin wished to bestow upon him in favor of the Serbs of Kosovo, who live "surrounded by barbed wire and tanks".
www.novosti.co.yu Vecernje Novosti daily, Belgrade
June 24, 2006 By D. Sekulic, June 23, 2006
Peter Handke has once again shocked the German public but this time in such a way that not even the most extreme do not dare criticize him for it. He has given up the alternative Heinrich Heine award that the actors and intellectuals of Berlin wished to bestow upon him in favor of the Serbs of Kosovo, who live "surrounded by barbed wire and tanks".
The Berlin Ensemble, headed by the also frequently controversial Klaus Peymann, the famous former head of the Vienna Burgtheater, recently organized donations with the help of numerous actors to award Handke an alternative Heinrich Heine award in the amount of 50,000 euros. The highly prestigious German language award was awarded to Peter Handke by an expert jury in Dusseldorf but the city council refused to accept its decision, stating quite literally that the award could not go to a writer who is of pro-Serb orientation!
The case provoked spirited discussion and many concluded that it represented an instance of brutal political censure of literature. Local politicians are judging one of the greatest living writers in the German language, warned eminent intellectuals, among them some, like Nobel laureate Gunther Grass who at one time advocated the bombing of Serbia.
At the same time Handke informed Peymann and his friends that he is renouncing the alternative award as well because, as he had previously stated, he did not wish his work to be the subject of meddling by local politicians. The money that they collect should be sent to the Serb enclaves in Kosovo and Metohija to people who are living under impossible conditions thanks to the supporters of "freedom" imposed upon them by NATO bombs.
Grass dismisses jury
In Dusseldorf it has now been openly admitted that the decision really was of a political nature and that the Heinrich Heine award allegedly has a clearly political character. In response to this, Grass, who is highly influential, has sent a request that in the future the city council be stripped of the right to approve or reject the decision of the expert jury.
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Related article:
Disputed Author Handke Awarded German Literary Prize
DEUTSCE WELLE 25.05.2006
Großansict des Bildes mit der Bildunterscrift: Austrian writer Peter Handke is controversial because of his stance on Serbia
Controversial Austrian playwright and novelist Peter Handke was awarded the city of Düseldorf's Heine Prize for literature.
The Heine Prize, endowed for 50,000 euros ($64,000), is one of the three highest-paying literature prizes in Germany. The jury said Handke -- like Heinric Heine, the German poet after whom the prize is named -- obstinately follows the way to an "open truth." He puts forth his own poetic world view, in contrast to broader public opinion, they said. The prize will be awared on Dec. 13.
Handke wrote the groundbreaking experimental play "Offending the Audience" and the novel "The Goalie's Anxiety at the Penalty Kick", but may be best know for writing the novel "Wings of Desire", whic was turned into a film by Wim Wenders.
Pro-Serbian stance
He is controversial because of his pro-Serbian stance during the Balkan wars, and his support for the Serbian regime.
Recently, Frenc national theatre Comédie-Française removed the play "Voyage to the Sonorous Land or the Art of Asking" from its 2007 season lineup, after Handke spoke at the burial of former Serbian dictator Slobodan Milosevic in Marc.
Handke, who lives in France, said in an esay in the Frenc newspaper Libération: "Let's stop laying the masacre . on the backs of the Serbian military and paramilitary. And listen -- at last -- to the survivors of the Muslim masacres in numerous Serbian villages around Srebrenica."
'Glad' aceptance
Last year, Handke's publisher, Suhrkamp Verlag, said the author would categorically refuse any more literature prizes; in Paris, however, Handke said he would "gladly" acept the Heine Prize.
Up to now, winners of the Heine Prize have included Walter Jens, Günter Kunert, Max Frisc, Wolf Biermann, Hans Magnus Enzensberger, Elfriede Jelinek und Robert Gernhardt.
Then look harder.
1990 Election Results for Bosnia. Count 'em - 7 presidents, and Abdic ran as a member of Izetbegovic's party.
As for who got the most votes, it's irrelevant - the voters were electing members of the collective presidency only. Once elected, it was up to those members to apportion power however they saw fit, and that's exactly what they did.
However, if you feel compelled to pursue the matter, citing the relevant Bosnian electoral law which was broken will settle the issue, and I'm sure that all of your sources can back you up in this matter, what with this method being incontrovertible and all.
Failing that, any references to objections raised at the time by either the SDS or HDZ would bolster your case - here's an article from Oct 11, 1993 from Vreme, yet there's no mention of any laws broken by Izetbegovic's taking the position of head of the collective presidency - I guess they're in on the conspiracy too?
Have fun.
For all your rhetoric, this is the portion of your statement which you've yet to back up.
I never asserted that "Izetbegovic broke election laws", but rather that Abdic stepped aside for reasons that have never been clear (although there were a lot allegations thrown around), even though Abdic got far more votes than Izetbegovic -- which by the way, your link nicely proves.
Even by your own numbers, Abdic won the most votes and Izetbegovic won the second most votes. When Abdic stepped aside, Izetbegovic became president. Based on your assertion, that would have been "just coincidence". But none of the other sources seem to infer that.
In any case, this thread is about Handke -- not Abdic or Izetbegovic, so feel free to answer another time Hoppie.
Excuse me, but a resident of Serbian Kosovo serving in the Croatian army would be a foreigner.
p.s. Good assessment of the three "gentlemen".
you've got that right, but, it includes larger nations as well.
At that time, Alija knew he could not win if he ran so he used Fikret. When Fik won, Al blacklisted and used deadly threats against Fik.
For those of you, Fik was not an honest individual. He was on the same criminal devious plane as others; apart from his hostility towards Alija’s islamic declaration and he was sensible and smart enough to work with the Serbs and Croatians to forge a peaceful settlement/arrangement. To note, he was not a active Muslim nor cared for it.
He had many supporters in the region that rejected Alija's islamic declaration.
Those that remained in Sarajevo, were trapped and could not flee the city safely into the Serbian lines. That is one more long story Hop will refute "the majority of muslims wished to flee Alija's reverse (self)-siege." whew, long story.
Until you root out the corruption, this would be difficult to achieve. Tito's ghost still roams the corridors in some cases.
He was a ... "business man", by Balkan definitions of course! :-)
So basically, the Bosnian Muslim election strategy was a "bait and switch". And the "bait" was Abdic, a secular Muslim with a broad-based constituency of Muslims, Serbs and Croats, used to get the electoral door open to the presidency for his party. The "switch" was Izetbebgovic, a Muslim radical, who wanted to turn Bosnia into a Muslim country.
If someone tried that strategy in America, there would be another revolution!
The Democrats tried that already, someone tried switching Al Gore with Kerry.... we know how that ended.
exactly, you got it. that’s how Hillary will get into office, as VP then ..and you know that history.
izzy had an agenda and was more politically perceptive then abdic, to a point.
Izzy had a compliant POTUS with whom he could rely on for support.
That is a a good deal superior subject matter then the socialist Handke, boka. You want superior people to be championing in your corner/side then from the likes of Handke. Even if it means less coverage/publicity. But that is I and would not ever want a communist adherent in support of me, EVER!
Hoplite did you all a favor by redirecting the focus off subject to another FFZ. Abdic/Izzy is much simpler and more easily to yak up about.
Of course, Izzy (Izetbegovic) was born a "beg" http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bey and had a lifelong mission to restore his family name to its "rightful place in a Muslim Bosnia".
Abdic was just "a business man". Wonder how much Abdic cost Izzy?
The Serbs and Croats left him alone and vice versa. Izzy had the 5th Corps, if memory serves me right, sole design is to take down Abdic and kill off his supporters.
When that did not go according to plan (they thought they could be bought or run away), they were in for a fight. The muslim corps did not expect the VRS so willingly fight together with him.
The Serbs, Croats and Abdic muslims wanted to coexist and for the most part, that region did not have much “real” action til late in the war. That is when the Croats figured they’d move in to take territory from them all.
Mindful that the Bihac pocket was all but stamped out with the VRS in rear support, the HVO lent some arty and logistical support. We know how the Fall of 1995 transpired…..
The Serbs and Croats left him alone and vice versa. Izzy had the 5th Corps, if memory serves me right, sole design is to take down Abdic and kill off his supporters.
When that did not go according to plan (they thought they could be bought or run away), they were in for a fight. The muslim corps did not expect the VRS so willingly fight together with him.
The Serbs, Croats and Abdic muslims wanted to coexist and for the most part, that region did not have much “real” action til late in the war. That is when the Croats figured they’d move in to take territory from them all.
Mindful that the Bihac pocket was all but stamped out with the VRS in rear support, the HVO lent some arty and logistical support. We know how the Fall of 1995 transpired…..
The Serbs and Croats left him alone and vice versa. Izzy had the 5th Corps, if memory serves me right, sole design is to take down Abdic and kill off his supporters.
When that did not go according to plan (they thought they could be bought or run away), they were in for a fight. The muslim corps did not expect the VRS so willingly fight together with him.
The Serbs, Croats and Abdic muslims wanted to coexist and for the most part, that region did not have much “real” action til late in the war. That is when the Croats figured they’d move in to take territory from them all.
Mindful that the Bihac pocket was all but stamped out with the VRS in rear support, the HVO lent some arty and logistical support. We know how the Fall of 1995 transpired…..
sorry for the 3 posts..figured it was worth repeating..?..:) don't Serbs do things in threes?..:)
Yes indeed! :-)
Disagree, ma.
First of all I don't believe Handke's stance re the Serbs is political -- I think it is sincere, personal and a matter of conscience.
Has any one here actually read up on the German "Greens", at whom Handke leveled his most devastating charges? http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/German_Green_Party ? They are the most liberal of the mainstream German parties! He didn't blast the German Conservatives -- he blasted the German Liberals!
Second, I've read the book that started all of this. It is not political either, it is personal. It moved me, and if it moved me, it has likely moved others.
Handke's name has brought new blood to the the thread and that is a good thing, irrespective of their political positions on the Balkans when they arrive. Maybe they leave with the same ideas, maybe they don't. Conservativism is as uniform as the media would like you to think, either.
While it's nice for the Balkan regulars to sit here and hone our knowledge of the details of the Balkan wars and politics, it doesn't really accomplish anything for anyone other than us. Getting others interested does accomplish something. It makes a portion of American history, re Clinton and the NATO Bombing, more comprehensible and multi-faceted than just the "good guy/bad guy scenario" that the media has been feeding them for the last 15 years. And that knowledge is a good thing for Americans in this war on terror and a good thing for all concerned.
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