Dieter Kalka

Dieter Kalka began the study of electrical engineering and mathematics at the Technische Universität Ilmenau in 1978. In 1980 he was forced to abandon his studies due to the distribution and possession of illegal publications. He was a member of the folk group "Feuertanz", founded in 1978, while in 1984 he founded Dieters Frohe Zukunft (Dieter's Happy Future). He wrote his own folksongs, together with Uwe Schimmel on the French horn, Uta Mannweiler on the viola, while he himself played Bandoneon. With this group he organised the illegal artists' meeting "Ringelfolk" in Wurzen, which was devoid of censorship. The unauthorized promotional material for this, and other actions, he copied at the photo lab of Petra Lux.

Leipziger Liederszene, Dieter Kalka with bandoneon, Photo: Jochen Janus

Dieter Kalka was "the fiercest among the Leipzig song singers".[1] Since the mid-1980s he has worked as a freelance singer and has repeatedly participated in the Chanson days Kloster Michaelstein (GDR-open Chanson days in the Monastery at Michaelstein). He made samizdat productions in the private studio of Hubertus Schmidt in 1987, with Peter Gläser in 1988 and at the official Kölling studio in Leipzig in 1989. After collaborating with Werner Bernreuther in 1987, he received a professional certificate as a songwriter, won a prize at the Chanson days of the GDR (Chanson days in Frankfurt/Oder) and a prize at the Leipzig Songwriter Workshop, which he later publicly returned as they wanted to dictate to him which song he should sing at the final concert. He has received several scholarships of Saxony and was, for a time, a member of the Independent Writers Association "ASSO" Dresden, the NGL/New Society for Literature, the Writers Association "VS" and the "Förderkreis Freie Literaturgesellschaft Leipzig".

Dieter Kalkas first published book was entitled "Eine übersensible Regung unterm Schuhabsatz" (An Over Sensitive Motion Under the Heel) and released in 1987 as samizdat. In 1990 he prepared as project manager for the first Alternative Leipzig Book Fair.[2][3] Within the Association of German writers he organized in 1995 in Leipzig, the German-Polish poets’ festival "wortlust".[4] He has translated Polish poetry into German. The sunken GDR reality is the subject of his "Der ungepflückte Apfelbaum", published in 1998.[5] Kalka's texts have been published in German, Polish, Austrian, Canadian and Belarusian literary magazines.

Kalka was twice in Belarus for the songwriter's festival "Bardentreffen", and appeared with his Belarusian colleague Victor Shalkevich. At the Saxon Literature Spring in 2003, he dedicated his "Freiheitslied Nr. 2" (Freedom Song No.2) to his Belarusian colleague Victor Shalkevich in the hope that better times will come.[6] He participated in the German-Polish poets steamer on the border river Oder and the Orpheus Project in Wroclaw, Bad Muskau and Lwówek Śląski. At the poets steamer the Poet's wedding also took place[7] in 1998 between Dieter Kalka and Zielona Góra fairy tale author, Agnieszka Haupe,[8] at the Frankfurt Oderbrücke.[9]

Kalka has appeared on various programs with his bandoneon and playing his own songs, such as in 1988 with the theme "Noch habe ich die Freiheit zu lieben" (I still have the freedom to love). He also sang at times at the songwriter-festival Burg Waldeck. His songs "are not without a bitter aftertaste. He puts his finger on compromises that everybody engages in almost every day of their life, or feel compelled to close. Former ideals are often forgotten”.[10] He has written lyrics for folk opera[11] and has written about "The revival of the East German singer-songwriter scene".[12] His concerts have taken him to Poland, Belarus, Czech Republic, Hungary, Switzerland, Austria and Denmark. His songs are on numerous CDs.

Dieter Kalka works as a speech therapist and lives in Leipzig and Meuselwitz.

Dieter Kalka with bandoneon at Literary Autumn in Pozńan 2018, Photo Andrzej Walter

• Wilhelm Bartsch: Dieter Kalka. Ein Schnitter aus Sachsen. Published in: Mitteldeutsche Zeitung, 30 March 1998
• Moritz Jähnig: Standortbestimmung persönlicher Natur. Published in: Die Union, October 1989
• Das mysteriöse Ende des montrösen Diktators H. Gelunge Schreiber Inszenierung von Kalkas „Experiment“ im „theater fact. Published in: Leipziger Volkszeitung, 25 September 1998
• David Robb: The GDR Singebewegung. Metamorphosis an Legacy Published in: Monatshefte. Nr. 2. University of Wisconsin 2000
• Norbert Weiss: Kunst auf dem Lande. Kalka erzählt von Bohemiens in der Dorfpraxis. Published in: Süddeutsche Zeitung, 25./26.04. 1998
• Ossi na etacie błanzna, Lublin, STOP, 27 March 1992

• Literature by and about Dieter Kalka in the German National Library catalogue
• Website of Dieter Kalka
• Dieter Kalka: BOHEMES & BOHEMIANCE
• Radio MDR' "Figaro trifft Dieter Kalka
• Leipziger Liederszene