Alexander U. Martens

Alexander U. Martens (born June 24, 1935 in Kiel , † April 14, 2014 in Darmstadt ) was a German publicist .

Life

Alexander Ulrich Martens (abbreviation: AUM) worked for various German publishers and editorial offices for many years. From 1964 to 1975 he was head of communications at the Börsenverein des Deutschen Buchhandels and the Frankfurt Book Fair . In 1976/1977 he held the office of Deputy Secretary General of the German Academy for Language and Poetry in Darmstadt.

From 1978 onwards, he was the ZDF culture editor and presenter of the program aspekte for 20 years, and through this function also co-founder and jury member of the aspekte literature award . Martens later worked for series such as "Witnesses of the Century". Until 1994 he moderated the program “Science in Cross-Examination” on 3SAT.

further activities

From 1991 to 2001 he was also a lecturer for linguistics and literary studies at the TU Darmstadt . In 2000 he was a member of the jury for the “Media Prize for Language Culture” of the Society for German Language and in 2001 he was a member of the board of trustees of the “ Reading Foundation ”, the successor to the former German Reading Society, which he was involved in establishing in the 1970s.

Martens has been a founding member of the Lions Club Darmstadt-Castrum since 1984 and has served as president twice (1996/1997 and 2003/2004). It was in this environment that he organized a remarkable social project: for many years, he carried out the renovation of two 400-year-old houses in Quedlinburg to meet the needs of historical monuments and handicapped people and was also able to get a Rotary club on board. Martens was one of the few people who wore high accolades from both clubs. The Quedlinburg “House of Lions and Rotarians” is now a residential facility for people with disabilities.

Since 2005 he has been the initiator and moderator of the “New Darmstadt Talks ” in the Darmstadt State Theater and has directed it more than fifty times.

For many years he lived in Rohrbach near Darmstadt. Alexander U. Martens died after a serious illness on April 14, 2014 in Darmstadt.

honors and awards

• After 1994: Martens was the recipient of the Atlantis Culture Prize. Atlantis Culture Prize
• In 2012 he was awarded the Goethe plaque by the State of Hesse for his longstanding services and commitment to art and culture .
• In 2013 he received the Johann Heinrich Merck Award from the City of Darmstadt.

Publications (selection)

• Erwin Strittmatter: “Only what I know and feel.” Interview with Alexander U. Martens. Edited by Ingo Herrmann in the series "Witnesses of the Century". Lamuv Verlag, Göttingen 1994, ISBN 3-88977395-8
• Wilhelm Salber and Alexander U. Martens: “Read and let read. On the psychology of dealing with books ”(= series of publications by the German Publishers and Booksellers Association), ISBN 3-8731-8531-8
• Heinrich Maria Ledig-Rowohlt: “Prince Henry.” Conversation with Alexander U. Martens in the series “Witnesses of the Century”. Lamuv Verlag, Göttingen 1992, ISBN 978-3-8897-7302-9
• Alexander U. Martens: “Heinz G. Konsalik. Portrait of a bestselling author. “Heyne Verlag, Munich 1991. ISBN 978-3-4530-4829-4
• Martens, Alexander U .: "Are scientific books too expensive?" Edited by the Arbeitsgemeinschaft Wissenschaftlicher Literatur eV, Stuttgart. 1st edition 1976, 2nd edition 1977.

Web links

• Literature by and about Alexander U. Martens in the catalog of the German National Library
• AU Martens in conversation on the occasion of his 75th birthday , mp3 podcast of the hr2 broadcast “Mikado” from June 30, 2010, accessed November 19, 2010
• 'New Darmstadt Talks'

Individual evidence

1. ↑ ^{a b} Echo Online : Alexander U. Martens died ( Memento of the original from April 16, 2014 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. , April 15, 2014. 
2. ↑ Boersenblatt.net, April 17, 2014 .