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.
For us Croatians, Tudjman is a hero. Don't substitute your judgement for ours.
Absolutely.....not meaning this in disrespect, but speaking along the same principle, "one mans terrorist is another mans hero".... Speaking from your perspective, very true. As you will find this quite amusing. Many of us (and many that aren't included) in the U.S. think Clinton was a total waste. (unless you are a die hard Democrat)....for example. Here comes the amusing part. I was in Kosovo from 1999-2004....the Albanians consider Clintoon as their.....ready for this...Hero. To the point that they have a very large picture of him pasted on the side of a building in Pristina. To top it all, the building and picture is on "Bill Clinton Blvd"...go figure. So, I'm blasting away on Billy Bob while my Albanian co-workers are very confused as to my "blasting away" at THEIR hero. So, my apology for not taking that into account, for this perspective as you are right. It's all in who's eyes one is looking.
"one mans terrorist is another mans hero"
Again, understand I was not referring to Tudjman in this context for an example, in respect to your perspective....this was an example for that subject matter, terrorism; but same principle. As it doesn't change my opinion, I do agree with you, to make it clear while coming from this angle. So, you are right I was wrong.
I do think you overrate Tudjman though. He didn't strike me as the sharpest crayon in the Balkans box. The fact that he had to rely so heavily on the Ustasha diaspora maniacs to achieve his goals also will forever tarnish the man's reputation.
What Franjo did was use that piece of history, which was used during the heavy Ustashe era of WW2, and restored it to national prominence.
With his pogrom of ethnic intimidation to drive non-Croats (Serbs) out of jobs, positions and the police, he re-installed the fear of Jasenovac and the HDZ/Ustashi alliance with the Hitler and his Nazis.
What do you expect the Serb reaction to be? One of peace and harmony with a people that supported his national social program.
Hey Darko, when in your opinion did the Serbs begin their "antagonistic" cleansing and or problems with their Croat neighbors?
The reason for his moving from Canada to Switzerland as claims is to find work in the Banking Industry. Underlying reason is to be closer to the Bosnian Croats for "unkown" reasons.
I've met him in St Cats, Ontario a few years back..2002 I believe.
Denying the truth can never destroy it.
Croats made up the majority of members within the Communist partisans and the hard line leadership ranks.
That is fact.
Tudjman, the Commie partisan, was promoted to general within Tito's People's Army.
He was also learned Marxist-Leninist historian as he himself admits in his book.
He was always a Communist, later a nationalist, the combination of which leads to some of the monsters we have seen throughout the world.
That's funny, I'll be in South Carolina on business next week for two weeks.
Yes, and you've certainly denied the truth on this thread over and over again. But it doesnt' really matter in the larger scope since Croatia is a free country, free from Belgrade rule, free from Yugo communism, free to choose its own path.
Free from Yugo communism? Part of Croatia's identity is "Yugo"...just as Muslims and Serb Christians must self examine this aspect of their history.
You - however - have your head decidedly buried in the mire of denial. Not only must Croats deal with their Communist identity but they have to rid themselves of their vile Fascist genocidal tendencies.
A tall order ...and one judging from your insipid remarks they have no stomach for.
If that has changed, I know you were under investigation for your activites. So, you must have had a great lobbyist on your side to make it happen.
He is the grandson of a Ustasha. Zoran (ma bell) told me a lot about Tropoljac and pointed out some of his postings on other forums a few years ago. Tropoljac was talking about how is old Ustasha grandfather was buried in Bosnia in 1991, and a bunch of old Muslims, who participated in WWII with him, were paying their respects at his funeral. His grandfather must have been some important commander or something.
Further, he stated that the Muslims were talking about their Islamification plans for Bosnia back in May 1991 - so almost a year before the Bosnian war - which upset Tropoljac.
And the swastika predates the Nazi party. So what?
For the rest of the civilized world, Turdjman is a scum-sucking Ustashi.
And free to complete the Ustashi promise of driving off or exterminating the Serb population, as they have done.
So how could the Croatian flag be an Ustasha one if it predates the Ustasha?
You guys are too easy....lmao
which is why 200,000 Serbs live in Croatia today, are represented in parliament, and in all walks of life, especially in the Croatian armed forces.
Hoppy, are there any intelligent Serbs left on FR? Where's Kosta? All these guys are lightweights who can't even stay on topic but go for the ad hominem.
Somewhere, dunno, & concur.
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