Barbara Krause (writer)

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Barbara Krause (born October 22, 1939 in Berlin ) is a German writer .

Life

Barbara Krause's parents were commercial employees. After graduating from high school, she studied Romance languages at the Humboldt University in Berlin , which she graduated with a diploma. From 1963 she worked as a scientific editor and later as a political employee of various organizations, including a fifteen year activity in the International Democratic Women's Federation (IDFF).

Since 1983 she has lived as a freelance writer in Berlin . Until the fall of the Berlin Wall she mainly published children's books in the GDR . Since 1990, the focus of her work has been on literary artist and writer biographies, including Camille Claudel , Frida Kahlo , Tina Modotti and Brigitte Reimann .

Work development and reception

After two titles in the popular children's book series Die kleine Trompeterbücher (The Little Trumpet Books) from the children's book publisher and a booklet in the also much-read crime series Blaulicht , Krause published her first major prose work A Weekend in August in 1980 , which Jürgen Schulz discussed in a farmer's voice. The story is “multi-layered”, but much remains “imprecise and on the surface”. The passages in which “the author works less verbosely and in terms of words”, are successful. Her narrative talent comes into its own, “when she reflects on her relationship to nature, to her childhood village and her partner, then she always speaks to the reader, encourages him to deal with the events”. Marianne Krumrey highlighted the basic theme of the book in the Berliner Zeitung : “This is about the functioning of socialist democracy, the relationship between leaders and employees, the responsibility of a communist in our society.” She wrote: “ If the book is written a bit unfocused at the beginning, not all episodes are meaningful, but after the first third the author knows how to build a strong tension, to tell confidently. A remarkable figure drawing is also evident here. [...] All are viewed with sympathy and illustrated in their dormant possibilities. In addition to knowledge of human nature and political maturity, the author has above all brought in her experience of reality gained from her own professional activity. ”In the Junge Welt , Gerda Gericke also referred to the“ careful drawing of people ”. However, "conception and design [...] would mark some debutants' weaknesses". Veronika Hansen dealt specifically with the book in the national newspaper, as she summed up : “The demands she places on herself are great. In connection with the life story of a young woman, she wants to uncover a multitude of social problems, contradictions and connections. However, Barbara Krause does not succeed in comprehensively exploring reality; at least it does not penetrate into the depths of the relationships. Their attitude remains shallow and conciliatory. ”Hansen particularly criticized the, in their opinion,“ completely irrelevant ”reference to quotes from Krause's supposed role models. On the other hand, she found the conventional narrative technique to be good, because it would create a “well-rounded story”, even if “more was typed than designed”. Ultimately, the book is “a 'happy-end novel' [sic] in socially critical packaging”.

In the New Age , “SK” summarized the follow-up work The White Snail Shell , which is again aimed at younger readers, as a poetic description of problems in the formation of blended families . Often children would transfer their ideas from fairy tales, for example of the cohesion of “ little brothers and sisters ”, to reality. However, these longings and expectations often contradict reality. Adults should pay attention to this , concludes the review .

About the youth book Anna, the Unruly, which appeared the following year , Ute Werner noted in the Berliner Zeitung that the topos “duality of personality” appears here in a contemporary way. Krause proves "with this incredibly fresh and challenging book for young people again versatile storytelling talent".

With the novel biographies published after the fall of the Wall , she returned to her beginnings, as it were, when she portrayed the cosmonaut Valentina Tereschkowa (at that time for children) .

Works

  • The girl from Maslennikow (= The Little Trumpeter Books ; No. 103). Children's book publisher, Berlin 1974.
  • Samakina (= The Little Trumpeter Books ; No. 118). Children's book publisher Berlin 1976.
  • The white Skoda (= blue light ; No. 171). Verlag Das Neue Berlin, Berlin 1976.
  • A weekend in August . Verlag Neues Leben, Berlin 1980 (from 3rd edition, 1986, ISBN 3-355-00237-2 ).
  • The white snail shell. Illustrations by Gisela Röder. Children's book publisher, Berlin 1983.
  • Anna, the stubborn. Verlag Neues Leben, Berlin 1984 (from 2nd edition, 1987, ISBN 3-355-00444-8 ).
  • Wendelin's Kingdom (= The Little Trumpeter Books ; No. 188). Children's book publisher, Berlin 1989, ISBN 3-358-01206-9 .
  • Camille Claudel. A life in stone. Verlag Neues Leben, Berlin 1990, ISBN 3-355-01042-1 .
  • The sandalwood elephant. Crime story (= blue light ; No. 283), Verlag Das Neue Berlin, Berlin 1990.
  • The second champagne glass. Crime story (= heron books ; heron crime ). Reiher, Berlin 1991, ISBN 3-910163-60-2 .
  • Diego is the name of love. The fate of Frida Kahlo. Novel. Verlag Neues Leben, Berlin 1992, ISBN 3-355-01350-1 .
  • The burnt butterfly. Tina Modotti novel. Verlag Neues Leben, Berlin 1993, ISBN 3-355-01400-1 .
  • Brigitte Reimann, a captive rebel. Biographical novel. New life publishing house, Berlin 1994, ISBN 3-355-01421-4 .
  • Happiness is an island. Irish journey (= Herder spectrum ; Volume 4525). Herder, Freiburg im Breisgau / Basel / Vienna 1996, ISBN 3-451-04524-9 .
  • The blue bird on my hand. Marianne Werefkin and Alexej Jawlensky. Biography of a novel (= Herder spectrum ; Volume 4677). Herder, Freiburg im Breisgau / Basel / Vienna 1998, ISBN 3-451-04677-6 .
  • The colors of the lost paradise. Marc Chagall. Novel biography. Herder, Freiburg im Breisgau / Basel / Vienna 2002, ISBN 3-451-27828-6 .
  • The little woman. A story. With pictures by Katharina Gutknecht. Verlag am Goetheanum, Dornach 2003, ISBN 3-7235-1193-7 .
  • The women of Swetaner Holz. Projekt-Verlag Cornelius, Halle 2009, ISBN 978-3-86634-762-5 .

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ a b Barbara Krause. In: Heiner Wolf: Every book is an adventure: an almanac. Forty years of Verlag Neues Leben, Berlin. Verlag Neues Leben, Berlin 1986, ISBN 3-355-00043-4 , p. 1975.
  2. ↑ Marianne Schmidt (ed.): The chicken of Columbus: Espresso stories. Verlag Neues Leben, Berlin 1981, p. 377.
  3. ↑ Blurb to Bound Rebel .
  4. ↑ Jürgen Schulz: Corinna struggles for her claim to life . In: Bauernecho . March 21, 1981.
  5. ↑ Marianne Krumrey: Corinna reconsiders her problems. Barbara Krause's “A Weekend in August” at the Neues Leben publishing house . In: Berliner Zeitung . No. 210/1981 , September 5, 1981, Literature and Life. Debutants of Literature, p. 10 .
  6. ↑ Gerda Gericke: Ideals and dreams of this world . In: Junge Welt . Organ of the Central Council of the FDJ . February 17, 1981, p. 11 f .
  7. ↑ Veronika Hansen: Flat exploration of reality. Barbara Krause: “A weekend in August” . In: National newspaper . July 20, 1981.
  8. ^ SK: Children's book publisher; Barbara Krause. The white snail shell. Narrative. 52 pages. 5.60 marks . In: New Time . Central organ of the Christian Democratic Union of Germany . No. 250/1983 , October 24, 1983, literature / novel. Books Telegram, S. 4 .
  9. ↑ Ute Werner: Veronika and Anna, the stubborn . In: Berliner Zeitung . No. 58/1985 , March 9, 1985, Literatur und Leben, pp. 10 .

Web links

personal data
SURNAME Krause, Barbara
BRIEF DESCRIPTION German writer
DATE OF BIRTH October 22, 1939
PLACE OF BIRTH Berlin