Klaus Ebner

Klaus Ebner (born 8 August 1964) is an Austrian writer, essayist, poet, and translator. Born and raised in Vienna, he began writing at an early age. He started submitting stories to magazines in the 1980s, and also published articles and books on software topics after 1989. Ebner's poetry is written in German and Catalan; he also translates French and Catalan literature into German. He is a member of several Austrian writers associations, including the Grazer Autorenversammlung.

Klaus Ebner
Klaus Ebner in 2011
Born (1964-08-08) 8 August 1964
Vienna
OccupationWriter, essayist, poet, translator
NationalityAustrian
PeriodContemporary
Notable worksHominid (novel)

His works include cultural essays on Catalan topics, and stories dealing with Jewish traditions. His first collection of short stories was printed in 2007. In 2008, Ebner published the short novel Hominide. He has received several literature awards, among them the Youth Prize Erster Österreichischer Jugendpreis in 1982, and the Viennese Wiener Werkstattpreis in 2007. Austrian critics, such as Wolfgang Ratz, have praised Ebner's prose-style. The writer lives in Vienna with his family.

Life

Klaus Ebner was born on 8 August 1964 in Vienna, Austria, where he grew up.[1] His mother, Ingeborg (b. 1944), worked as a hairdresser and his father, Walter (1939–1996), was a salesman who sold home entertainment products in the 1970s and later. His sister was born in 1969; the family moved one year later. Ebner attended Secondary School for eight years, and his first writing experiences date back to this time; at the age of twelve he wrote a short theater play and rehearsed it with his friends at school. However, the play was never performed.[1]

In 1982, after a one-month university trip to Tours, France, Ebner began studying Romance languages, German philology, and translation at the University of Vienna. At this time he was already working for a literary circle and Viennese literature magazine.[2] After graduation in 1988 and 1989 he concentrated on various professional careers, such as translation,[3] foreign language teaching and IT projects.[4] In the 1990s, Ebner published articles and books on software and networking topics; while these books were written in German,[5] he also wrote some articles in English.[6] In 1999, he spent six weeks in North Carolina, and was the co-author of a book in English about PC servers.[7]

In 2001, while studying European economics at a Viennese university of applied sciences, he authored a paper about Islamism in Europe, which was published in Germany in 2001.[8] He also wrote several stories dealing with the Muslim civilization, such as in "Momentaufnahme" ("Snapshot") and "Flug sechs-zwo-zwo" ("Flight six-two-two)",[9] "orgiastisch" ("orgiastic")[10] and others. Ebner lives in Vienna with his family. He is a member of the Austrian writers' associations Grazer Autorenversammlung (GAV)[11] and Österreichischer Schriftstellerverband (ÖSV).

Work

Since graduating from school, Ebner has written short prose, poetry and radio plays.[1] His work has been published in literary and cultural magazines such as Sterz,[12] one of the largest literary magazine from Styria, Austria, and in Lesezirkel,[13] which was owned by the Viennese daily newspaper Wiener Zeitung. The topic of his 1988 master's thesis (Diplomarbeit), written in French, was titled "The Image of the Catalan Countries in French literature from Romanticism till Today".[14] Excerpts of a Catalan Diary, containing travel journals and comments on Catalan culture, were published in 1987,[15] and in several essays he discusses Catalan culture.[16]

Increasing professional obligations after the birth of his first son in 1987 coincided with a reduction in his literary output.[1] During the 1990s he instead focused his attention on his novel Feuers Geraun. Two early versions of this novel's chapters were published by the Upper Austrian magazine die Rampe in 1994 (Der Schreiber von Aram) and 1997 (Das Gesetz).[17] These chapters deal with Jewish and biblical traditions.[1][18] The publishing list on Ebner's website lists only six publications in anthologies by 2004, but seventeen are listed from between 2005 and 2008.[19]

Ebner has additionally written narrative fiction (novels, short stories, short prose), essays and poems. His poetry is written in German and Catalan. Supported by a subsidy for literature from the Austrian government, he went to Andorra in 2007 to write an essay about the country in the Pyrenees.[20] He also translated the novel L'Absent written by the Catalan author Josep Navarro Santaeulàlia, into German.[21] Ebner's cultural essays about Catalan culture, such as that of Barcelona and Andorra, have been published by the magazines Literatur und Kritik and Zitig.[22][23] His first collection of short stories, Lose (Destinies), was published in 2007. Of its 45 stories, twenty-two had already been printed in newspapers, literary magazines or anthologies.[24] In 2008, Ebner published two other books of narrative fiction, among them the short novel Hominide.[25]

Style of writing

Ebner's short stories in particular cover a multitude of topics, which, as critic Julia Rafael states, treat actual and socially relevant problems. She describes the stories included in the anthology Lose as "somewhat imploding" and says that "phantasms, irony and humor have their place, too".[26] Moreover, Ebner's metaphors have been described as "passing beyond reality without losing ground".[26] According to journalist Paul C. Jezek, Ebner's writing style is characterized by very careful and acerbic wording. Each sentence has a melody; his short prose especially sounds lyrical. Jezek compares Ebner's sentences to "Japanese paintings – every word has been chosen with special care".[27] Austrian writer and critic Wolfgang Ratz made a similar observation, drawing attention to "the accurateness of Ebner's speech" and "his affinity with formal details", while singling out the sarcastic stridency of the critical stories.[28]

Awards and accomplishments

In 1982, Ebner was awarded the Youth Prize for Literature (Großer Österreichischer Jugendpreis) for his novella Das Brandmal (The Stigma), which had attracted the attention of Austrian critic and jury member Hans Weigel. Weigel compared Ebner to Austria's 19th century novella writer Ferdinand von Saar.[29] The novella tells the story of a young community servant who, through his service, becomes acquainted with a seemingly bewildered pensioner; a Viennese Jew whose bewilderment is a direct consequence of his experiences in a concentration camp during the Third Reich. One year later, the novella was published in several parts in Israel's German newspaper Israel-Nachrichten.[30] The jury of the Feldkircher Lyrikpreis 2005 pointed out Ebner's precise language and his "consequent work on wording".[31] In 2007, Ebner's poem, "a paperman and sick", became one of the Mentioned Poems at the International Poetry Prize Nosside.[32] The jury referred to the "metropolitan tristesse" in the poem which describes a "paperman" whose "meal consists of loneliness":[33][34]

German
(original poem)		 English
(presented to Nosside by the author)

ein Zettler krank
vergessen ganz im Suff
die Wagenräder sperren
zäh
sein Mahl besteht aus Einsamkeit
garniert
mit Sehnsucht nach Vergangenem
betört von lauten Rufen
Hoffnung
wie vor langem sie
verlosch

a paperman and sick
forlorn in drunkenness
the wheels are blocking
clumsily
his meal consists of loneliness
its garnish
is the yearning for the past
beguiled by shouts of thunder
hope
that long ago
has died

In 2008, Ebner was awarded the Wiener Werkstattpreis for his short story "Der Flügel Last" ("The Wings' Burden"), which describes a seven-year-old girl who suffers from cancer.[35] Another award-winning essay, "Was blieb vom Weißen Ritter?" ("What Remains of the White Knight?"), gives insight into the medieval novel Tirant lo Blanch by Joanot Martorell from Valencia. Ebner intermingled his own reading experience with philological and historical information to create "Was blieb vom Weißen Ritter?".[35]

Awards and literary prizes
  • 1982 Erster Österreichischer Jugendpreis (Youth Prize for Literature) for the novella Das Brandmal/The Stigma[36]
  • 1984 Radio Play Award by the literary magazine Texte (3rd)[37]
  • 1988 Erster Österreichischer Jugendpreis (Youth Prize for Literature) for the novel Nils[38]
  • 2004 La Catalana de Lletres 2004, Mention and publication in the anthology, Barcelona[39]
  • 2005 Feldkircher Lyrikpreis (4th)[40]
  • 2007 Premio Internazionale di Poesia Nosside, Mention and publication in the anthology, Reggio Calabria[32]
  • 2007 Travel Subsidy by the Austrian Government[41]
  • 2008 Two Subsidies for Literature by the Austrian Government[42][43]
  • 2008 Wiener Werkstattpreis 2007, Vienna[44]
  • 2009 Travel Subsidy by the Austrian Government[45]
  • 2010 Second Prize of the Short Prose Award "Sprachräume – Schreibwelten" of the Austrian Writers' Association[46]
  • 2014 Premi de Poesia Parc Taulí;[47] Catalan Poetry Prize

Publications

English Translations
  • Why (…I write); autobiographical essay, Books on Demand, Norderstedt (FRG), ISBN 978-3-751903790

German Books
  • Wortspieler. Samuel Becketts Suche nach der verlorenen Sprache.; essay, Books on Demand, Norderstedt (FRG), ISBN 978-3-751935852
  • Warum (…ich schreibe); autobiographical essay, Books on Demand, Norderstedt (FRG), ISBN 978-3-749470419
  • Ohne Gummi/Without rubber; stories, Arovell Verlag, Gosau-Salzburg-Wien, ISBN 978-3-902808-36-3
  • Dort und anderswo/There and elsewhere; essays on travels and literature, Wels 2011, ISBN 978-3-9502828-9-4
  • Andorranische Impressionen; essay, Wieser Verlag, Klagenfurt 2011, ISBN 978-3-85129-934-2
  • wieso der Mückenschwarm dein Augenlicht umtanzt/why the midges dance around your eyes; poetry, Edition Art Science, St. Wolfgang 2011, ISBN 978-3-902157-88-1
  • Hominide/Hominid; short novel, FZA Verlag, Vienna 2008, ISBN 978-3-9502299-7-4
  • Auf der Kippe/On the brink; prose, Arovell Verlag, Gosau 2008, ISBN 978-3-902547-67-5
  • Lose/Destinies; short stories, Edition Nove, Neckenmarkt 2007, ISBN 978-3-85251-197-9

Catalan Books
  • Forats; poetry, Books on Demand, Madrid 2020, ISBN 978-84-13262901
  • Vestigis; poetry, Books on Demand, Madrid 2019, ISBN 978-84-13266435
  • Blaus/Shades of Blue; poetry, Pagès Editors, Barcelona 2015, ISBN 978-84-9975-627-1
  • Vermells/Shades of Red; poetry, SetzeVents (Catalan article), Urús 2009, ISBN 978-84-92555-10-9

Other publications
  • "Josep Pla"; essay about the Catalan writer Josep Pla. In: Zitig (online magazine), Vienna 2008
  • "Was blieb vom Weißen Ritter?"; essay about the medieval novel Tirant lo Blanch. In: Wordshop X - Wiener Werkstattpreis 2007 (brochure), FZA Verlag, Vienna 2008
  • "Die Stadt und das Meer"; essay about Barcelona. In: Reisenotizen, FZA Verlag, Vienna 2007, ISBN 978-3-9502299-4-3
  • "Die Freiheit ist eine Funzel"; essay on freedom and liberty. In: Lichtungen nr. 109 (ISSN 1012-4705), Graz 2007
  • "Von der Legende zur Modernität"; essay about Andorra. In: Literatur und Kritik nr. 411/412 (ISSN 0024-466X), Salzburg 2007
  • "Die Kunst ist der Anfang"; essay on translation of literature. In: Literarisches Österreich nr. 1/07 (magazine, ZVR 295943463), Vienna 2007
  • "Das Reizvolle der Prophezeiung"; essay on prophecies. In: Sterz nr. 99 (magazine, GZ 02Z033378M), Graz 2006
  • "Das Gfrett mit der Reform"; essay about the new German orthography. In: Literarisches Österreich nr. 2/04 (magazine, ZVR 295943463), Vienna 2004

Notes
  1. Biographical note on the author's official website Archived 2009-03-09 at the Wayback Machine, retrieved on 2009-02-12.
  2. Austrian National Library; entries about the magazine Texte, retrieved on 2009-02-13, Vienna 1983-1986.
  3. Ebner, K. and Lorenz, D. (2004): "DNS-Implementierung im Windows-Netzwerk/Implementing DNS on Windows Networks"; page 427, Microsoft Press.
  4. Idem and Credle, R., Ebner, K., Greco, J., and Re Ferré, M. (1999): "Migrating IBM Netfinity Servers to Microsoft Windows 2000", page X, ITSO Redbook.
  5. The German books were published by Data Becker (ISBN 3-89011-224-2 and 3-89011-366-4), Markt & Technik (ISBN 3-87791-137-4), IWT (ISBN 3-88322-352-2 and 3-88322-463-4), TEWI (3-89362-571-2) and Microsoft Press (ISBN 3-86063-606-5 and 3-86063-657-X) between 1989 and 2004.
  6. NT Update, issues 9, 10, 14ff., xephon, London 1999-2002.
  7. Credle, R., Ebner, K., Greco, J., and Re Ferré, M. (1999): "Migrating IBM Netfinity Servers to Microsoft Windows 2000", page X, ITSO Redbook, ISBN 0-7384-1524-3.
  8. Ebner, K. (2001/2007): "Islamischer Fundamentalismus in der EU/Islamic Fundamentalism in the EU", GRIN Verlag, ISBN 978-3-638-69698-2.
  9. Ebner, K. (2007): "Lose", page 133f., Edition Nove.
  10. Ebner, K. (2008): "Auf der Kippe", page 79f., Arovell Verlag.
  11. GAV members' list, entry about Klaus Ebner, retrieved on 2009-02-12.
  12. Sterz nr. 25/1983 and 99/2006.
  13. Lesezirkel nr. 20/1986 and 27/1987.
  14. Entry of the Austrian National Library about Ebner's paper "L’image des pays catalans chez les ecrivains français à partir du romantisme" Archived 2011-05-31 at the Wayback Machine (The title or its first words have to be typed into the field "Schnellsuche", then click "Ok" to display the entry), retrieved on 2009-02-12.
  15. Erste Österreichische Spar-Casse (Ed.), (1987): "Der Erste Österreichische Jugendpreis: Literaturjahr 1987.
  16. In addition to the literary essays, he published philological articles in the Zeitschrift für Katalanistik (Magazine for Catalan Studies, ISSN 0932-2221) nr. 15/2002 and 17/2004, and Europa Ethnica (ISSN 0014-2492) nr. 1-2/2005.
  17. die Rampe 2/94 (1994, ISBN 3-85320-679-4) and 2/97 (1997, ISBN 3-85320-822-3).
  18. Die Bearbeitung von Themen wie Judentum und Islam wird im Interview des katalanischen E-Zines Penedès Digital Archived 2009-09-07 at the Wayback Machine angesprochen.
  19. Anthology publication list on the author's official homepage Archived 2009-03-09 at the Wayback Machine, retrieved on 2009-02-12, which indicates the respective publishing year.
  20. Ebner, K. (2008): "Auf der Kippe", page 139, Arovell Verlag.
  21. List of translations on the author's official homepage, retrieved on 2009-10-29.
  22. Literatur und Kritik nr. 397/398, 411/412, 2006-2008.
  23. Austrian based e-zine Zitig, ISSN 1999-2815, retrieved on 2009-02-12.
  24. "Lose", page 243.
  25. Info on the books "Auf der Kippe" (book presentation), and "Hominide" (critical review by Karin Gayer Archived 2010-06-13 at the Wayback Machine, both in German and retrieved on 2009-10-29.
  26. Rafael, J.: Critic review of the book Lose, in: Literarisches Österreich nr. 1 (2008), page 27.
  27. Seine Zeilen sind wie japanische Malerei: Jedes Wort ist sorgfältig gewählt. Club 1 Magazin nr. 54 (1988), page 11.
  28. Ratz, W.: Critic review of the book Auf der Kippe, in: Literarisches Österreich nr. 2 (2008), pages 20-21.
  29. Article "Ab nach Frankreich" in: Club 1 Magazin nr. 1/83 (1983), page 10f.
  30. Ebner, K. (1983): Das Brandmal, in: Israel-Nachrichten, April issues.
  31. Kronabitter, E. (Ed.) (2008): "Lyrik der Gegenwart", page 87, Edition Art Science. ISBN 978-3-902157-43-0.
  32. Refer to the listing of results of the Nosside Award Jury 2007.
  33. Amoroso, G. (2007): L'immaginario dei poeti del Nosside 2007 e il loro potere di esprimere il mondo, page 41 (Italian), page 49f. (Spanish), p. 56 (Portuguese), ISBN 978-88-7351-184-7.
  34. Ebner, K. (2007): a paperman and sick, in: Amato, P. and Salfrán, M. J. (2007): "Nosside 2007", page 113 (German, English and Italian versions), Città del Sole Edizioni.
  35. The awarded texts have been published in the Prize Brochure: Schaden, P. (Ed.) (2008): "wordshop x", FZA Verlag.
  36. Club 1 Magazin nr. 01 (1983).
  37. Literary Magazine Texte 8, Vienna, March 1984, p. 33. The radio play is printed on the pages 27-33. All issues of the magazine Texte are archived by the Austrian National Library (Zeitschriftenarchiv).
  38. Club 1 Magazin nr. 54 (1988), page 11.
  39. Cervera, J. (Ed.) (2005): "la catalana de lletres 2004", page 40, Cossetània Edicions, ISBN 84-9791-098-2.
  40. "Lyrik der Gegenwart", pages 81, 87 and 102-103.
  41. Annual Report of the Austrian Department of Culture, "Kunstbericht 2007", p. 71, retrieved on 2010-05-03.
  42. Literaturhaus Wien, biography, retrieved on 2009-10-29.
  43. Annual Report of the Austrian Department of Culture, "Kunstbericht 2008", p. 72, retrieved on 2010-05-03.
  44. Schaden, P. (Ed.) (2008): "wordshop x", FZA Verlag.
  45. Annual Report of the Austrian Department of Culture, "Kunstbericht 2009", p. 76, retrieved on 2010-07-07.
  46. Writers' Association's ceremony in the Literaturhaus of Vienna, October 6, 2010. Archived March 20, 2012, at the Wayback Machine Archive of the Literaturhaus stating the names of the five award winners, retrieved on 2011-08-19.
  47. Press Note by Corporació Sanitària Parc Taulí, retrieved on 2016-08-01.

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