Christine Lavant

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Christine Lavant: Graffito by Jef Aérosol at the Musilhaus in Klagenfurt
Memorial plaque at the Dichtersteinen in Zammelsberg, Weitensfeld im Gurktal (after a woodcut by Werner Berg )

Christine Lavant (actually Christine Habernig , née Thonhauser ; born July 4, 1915 in Großedling near St. Stefan im Lavanttal ; †  June 7, 1973 in Wolfsberg ) was an Austrian writer . Since 1948 she used the name Lavant as a pseudonym.

Life

Christine Lavant was born as the ninth child of miner Georg Thonhauser and his wife Anna (née Hans), a sewer . Five weeks after the birth, the child developed scrofula on the chest, neck and face and almost went blind. At the age of three (1918) I had my first pneumonia , which would later recur almost every year. When he was hospitalized in 1919, the child was already considered to be no longer viable.

Nevertheless, Lavant started school in St. Stefan in 1921 . During a stay in the hospital in Klagenfurt , during which her eye disease improved, her doctor gave her a copy of Rainer Maria Rilke's works, which she carried back in her backpack on the 60 km walk to Wolfsberg.

In 1927 her health deteriorated again and, together with pulmonary tuberculosis , scrofula reappeared. After x-ray exposure, which was considered to be risky, both diseases disappeared surprisingly quickly, so that Lavant was able to finish elementary school in 1929. The following visit to the secondary school had to be canceled because the walk seemed too long for the ailing child. The girl now occupied herself with small household chores, painting, writing and reading, and began to knit. An otitis media , overlooked in 1930 , then led to an almost complete deafness of one ear.

In 1931 Lavant met Mrs. Lintschnig, who was then one of her most loyal friends. Many watercolors were created that she later gave away. At that time, however, the first severe depression emerged , which ultimately forced the adolescents to stay with their parents. From the more productive phases, a first novel of unknown title grew, which she submitted to Leykam Verlag in Graz . Despite a positive initial reaction, the Lavant publishing house canceled in 1932, which resulted in everything previously written being destroyed and Lavant giving up writing. After severe depression, Christine Lavant went to a mental hospital in Klagenfurt at her own request in 1935 . She processed her experiences in the text Notes from a madhouse , which was only published after her death.

In 1937 Christine Lavant met her future husband, the painter Josef Habernig . Her father died that same year. In 1938 the mother died. Lavant now had to leave the parental apartment to which she had returned. She tried again to earn a living by knitting, but was also supported financially by her siblings. In 1939 she married Josef Habernig, who was 30 years her senior.

In 1945 she began to write again for the first time and sent new poems to the Purtscher family, which she passed on to the poet Paula Grogger . Grogger then arranged a meeting with the publisher Viktor Kubczak for her . However, it was not until 1948 that a brush print of the poems Die Nacht an der Tag appeared in the Brentano Verlag in Stuttgart under the name "Christine Lavant", which was first used here . It was later lost. The publisher advised the poet to write prose, which complied with this request and wrote the story The Child .

In 1949 the short story Das Krüglein and the volume of poetry Die unfinierte Liebe were published , in 1950 a poetry reading at the St. Veit Culture Days led to a great personal success for the poet. From the encounter with the painter Werner Berg a long-term close friendship developed. Then Lavant moved to her friend Lintschnig's house, where she lived, with the exception of a one and a half year break, until her death.

Memorial place for the victims of child euthanasia in the Leipzig Peace Park with the two lines of Lavant poetry
This is the quivering grass meadow and the way goodbye

In 1952 the stories Baruscha were published by Leykam in Graz. In 1956 the beggar bowl (poems) were published by Otto Müller in Salzburg . This was followed by the State Prize for Promotion of Poetry and the Poetry Prize of the New German Hefts . The Brentano-Verlag published the story Die Rosenkugel . Through the Tonhof of the Carinthian composer Gerhard Lampersberg , she came into contact with representatives of the Viennese avant-garde.

This was followed in 1959 by Spindel im Mond (poems) by Otto Müller, and in 1960 by Sonnenvogel (poems) by Horst Heiderhoff in Wülfrath . The band throw away the clay. Poems and stories published by Wieland Schmied at Stiasny in Graz, the poet honored for the first time with a selection of works. The Pfauenschrei (poems) by Otto Müller followed in 1962 . Then 13 poems were published in the Lyrische Hefte (No. 11, edited by Arnfrid Astel , Heidelberg). In 1963 Josef Habernig suffered a stroke that also made Christine Lavant collapse. A first stay in the hospital followed.

In 1966 Lavant moved to Klagenfurt. In 1967 Half of the Heart (poems) was published by Bläschke in Darmstadt . In 1968 the poet then returned to St. Stefan after another hospital stay. This was followed in 1969 with Nell, the publication of early short stories (published without mentioning Jeannie Ebner ) by Otto Müller.

In 1970 the poet received the Great Austrian State Prize for Literature and had to go back to the hospital. In 1972 the poems , compiled by Grete Lübbe-Grothues from Bettlerschale , Spindel im Mond und Pfauenschrei , were published by Deutsches Taschenbuch Verlag in Munich , while the poet was forced to stay in the hospital again. Christine Lavant died on June 7, 1973 in the Wolfsberg State Hospital after a stroke .

The International Christine Lavant Society was founded in 2015 and has been awarding the Christine Lavant Prize for Poetry and Prose since 2016 . It is endowed with 15,000 euros and is thus one of the best-endowed literary prizes in Austria. Previous winners are Kathrin Schmidt (2016) and Bodo Hell (2017).

Awards and honors

Works (selection)

  • The child. Narrative. Brentano, Stuttgart 1948.
    • The child. Edited from the manuscript in the Robert Musil Institute and provided with an editorial report by Annette Steinsiek and Ursula A. Schneider. With an afterword by Christine Wigotschnig. Salzburg, Vienna: Otto Müller 2000, ISBN 3-7013-1010-6
    • newly published and with an afterword by Klaus Amann : Wallstein Verlag, Göttingen 2015
  • The mug. Narrative. Brentano, Stuttgart 1949.
  • The unfinished love. Poems. Brentano, Stuttgart 1949.
  • Baruscha. Leykam, Graz 1952.
  • The beggar bowl. Poems. Otto Müller, Salzburg 1956.
  • The rose ball. Narrative. Brentano, Stuttgart 1956.
  • Spindle in the moon. Poems. Otto Müller, Salzburg 1959.
  • Sun bird. Poems. Heiderhoff, Wülfrath 1960.
  • Throw away the clay. Introduced and selected by Wieland Schmied. Stiasny, Graz 1961.
  • The peacock cry. Poems. Otto Müller, Salzburg 1962.
  • Half of the heart. Edited by Horst Heiderhoff and Dieter Leisegang. Bläschke, Darmstadt 1967.
  • Nell. Four stories. Otto Müller, Salzburg 1969.
  • Art like mine is just a mangled life. Persecuted and scattered poems, prose and letters published. Selected and edited by Armin Wigotschnig and Johann Strutz. Otto Müller, Salzburg 1978.
  • Sun bird. Poems. Selected and edited by Roswitha Th. Hlawatsch and Horst G. Heiderhoff. Heiderhoff, Waldbrunn 1982.
  • Temptation of the stars. Stories and letters. Selected by F. Israel. St. Benno, Leipzig 1984.
  • And every heaven watches closed. Twenty-five poems for OS Edited by Hans Weigel . Jungbrunnen, Vienna / Munich 1991
  • Trampling of the cross. Poems, prose, letters. Edited by Kerstin Hensel . Reclam, Leipzig 1995.
  • The beautiful in the poppy dress. Narrative. Edited on behalf of the Brenner Archive (Innsbruck) and provided with an afterword by Annette Steinsiek. Salzburg: Otto Müller 1996 (2nd edition 2004), ISBN 3-7013-0928-0
  • Heart on the go. The letters to Ingeborg Teuffenbach. Edited on behalf of the Brenner Archive (Innsbruck) and provided with explanations and an afterword by Annette Steinsiek. Salzburg: Otto Müller 1997 ISBN 3-7013-0957-4
  • The changeling. Edited and with an afterword by Annette Steinsiek and Ursula A. Schneider. Salzburg, Vienna: Otto Müller 1998 (2nd edition 2000), ISBN 3-7013-0983-3
  • Records from the madhouse. Edited and with an afterword by Annette Steinsiek and Ursula A. Schneider. Salzburg, Vienna: Otto Müller 2001. ISBN 3-7013-1031-9 .
    • edited and provided with an afterword by Annette Steinsiek and Ursula A. Schneider. Innsbruck: Haymon Taschenbuch (2) 2008
    • newly published and with an afterword by Klaus Amann: Wallstein Verlag, Göttingen 2016.
  • Letters to Maja and Gerhard Lampersberg. Edited by Arno Rußegger and Fabjan Hafner. Commissioned by the Robert Musil Institute for Literary Research at the University of Klagenfurt / Carinthian Literature Archive. Otto Müller, Salzburg / Vienna 2003.
  • Christine Lavant. (= Poetry album. 289). Edited and selected by Richard Pietraß. Graphic Werner Berg. Märkischer Verlag, Wilhelmshorst 2010, ISBN 3-931329-89-5 .
  • Doris Moser, Fabjan Hafner (ed.): Poems published during his lifetime. (= Christine Lavant: works in four volumes). Volume 1. Wallstein Verlag, Göttingen 2014, ISBN 978-3-8353-1391-0 .
  • Klaus Amann, Brigitte Strasser (Ed.): Stories published during his lifetime. (= Christine Lavant: works in four volumes). Volume 2. Wallstein Verlag, Göttingen 2015, ISBN 978-3-8353-1392-7
  • Doris Moser, Fabjan Hafner, Brigitte Strasser (eds.): Poems from the estate. (= Christine Lavant: works in four volumes). Volume 3. Wallstein Verlag, Göttingen 2017, ISBN 978-3-8353-1393-4 .
  • Klaus Amann, Brigitte Strasser (ed.): Stories from the estate. With selected autobiographical documents. (= Christine Lavant: works in four volumes). Volume 4. Wallstein Verlag, Göttingen 2018, ISBN 978-3-8353-1394-1

monument

Hortensia: Christine Lavant Memorial, 2015–2016

On the occasion of Christine Lavant's 100th birthday, the sculptor Hortensia Fussy created a life-size bronze monument to the poet in 2015-2016, which was originally planned to be erected at Christine Lavant's birthplace in St.Stefan. The monument can be visited today in the Hortensia sculpture house in Bad Gams .

Settings

  • Hubert Steppan (1928–2009): song cycle based on texts by Christine Lavant (St. Paul, 1986–2005).
  • Eight songs for medium or low voice and piano: That was my life (1986), also as an orchestral song (2004) in the church opera Vita Vitalis - The true life; The root woman, Op. 232 (1991); This is the meadow trembling grass Op. 233 (1992); I want to pray, Father Op. 239 (1992); Haven't found you in a long time Op. 238 (1992); O my god Op. 245 (1994); To the sun Op. 299 (1995); Again he broke an op with the neighbor. 340 (2005), also as an orchestral song Op. 340.

literature

Web links

Commons : Christine Lavant  - Collection of images, videos and audio files

References

  1. ↑ Christine Lavant: Notes from a madhouse. Salzburg-Vienna 2001; the year can be found in the afterword by Anette Steinsiek and Ursula A. Schneider on p. 88.
  2. ↑ Christine Lavant Prize 2017: Bodo Hell awarded . Article dated November 7, 2017, accessed November 8, 2017.
personal data
SURNAME Lavant, Christine
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Habernig, Christine; Thonhauser, Christine (maiden name)
BRIEF DESCRIPTION Austrian writer
DATE OF BIRTH 4th July 1915
PLACE OF BIRTH Großedling near St. Stefan (Wolfsberg municipality) , Carinthia , Austria
DATE OF DEATH June 7th 1973
Place of death Wolfsberg , Carinthia, Austria