Jostein Gaarder

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Jostein Gaarder 3Sat interview at the Frankfurt Book Fair 2019
Jostein Gaarder, 2011

Jostein Gaarder ( pronunciation : [ ˈju: staɪn ˈgɔːrdər ] * August 8, 1952 in Oslo ) is a Norwegian writer . He writes novels and short stories , mostly with a philosophical background. Its target group are primarily children and young people. In 2004 he received the Willy Brandt Prize and in 1993 the Norwegian Bokhandler Prize .

life and work

Jostein Gaarder studied philosophy , Protestant Lutheran theology and Norwegian literature / Norwegian and Scandinavian linguistics at the University of Oslo . In 1976 he completed his studies. He then taught the Norwegian subject of Idéhistory for ten years (content cannot be compared with the history of ideas of the same name , idéhistorie is the historical study of the European train of thought / European philosophy), both in child and adult education, before he established himself as a freelancer Writer established.

He has two children with his wife, the theater scholar Siri Dannevig , and now lives with his family in Oslo .

The book The Secret of Cards was published in 1990 and was awarded the Norwegian Literary Critics' Prize a year later.

With his work Sofies Welt , originally intended as a children's book, but also read by many adults , which he wrote in 1991, he achieved world fame and breakthrough as a writer in 1993. For this book he received the German Youth Literature Prize in 1994. It has since been translated into over 50 languages ​​and was made into a film in 1999.

Jostein Gaarder sees above all the problem of global warming and the associated question “How can we maintain the living conditions on earth?” As the most important philosophical question of our time. He supports the Fridays for future demonstrations and wants schools to be even more aware of this issue.

“If I torture or kill you, then I am committing a crime. Because that's in German law and it's also part of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. We need such laws in Germany, Norway and the United Nations - we need a general declaration of human obligations. So that you will be punished if you destroy the world for the people who live after us. "

controversy

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Gaarder early August sparked in 2006 by his comment "God's chosen people" ( "Guds utvalgte folk") in the Norwegian newspaper Aftenposten a controversy out. Referring to Israel's military actions in Lebanon , he wrote a.o. a. (Excerpts of the translation from English after translation from Norwegian by the Simon Wiesenthal Center Paris):

“There is no turning back. It is time to learn a new lesson: We no longer recognize the State of Israel. We could not recognize the South African apartheid regime, and neither could the Afghan Taliban regime. And there were many who did not recognize Saddam Hussein's Iraq or the ethnic cleansing of the Serbs. We now have to get used to the idea: the State of Israel in its current form is history. "

And further:

“We do not believe in the idea of ​​a people chosen by God. We laugh at the fantasies of this people and weep at their misdeeds. Acting as God's chosen people is not only stupid and arrogant, but a crime against humanity. We call it racism. "

Regarding the "limits of tolerance" he explained:

[...] “We call child murderers 'child murderers' and will never accept that they should have a God-given or historical mandate that justifies their atrocities. We only say this: Shame on all apartheid, shame on ethnic cleansing, shame on every terrorist attack on civilians, whether it is carried out by Hamas, Hezbollah or the State of Israel! "

About the persecution of the Jews and the war in Lebanon:

“We recognize and take on Europe's deep responsibility for the suffering of the Jews, for the shameful persecution, the pogroms, and the Holocaust. It was a historical and moral imperative for the Jews to maintain their own homeland. However, the State of Israel, with its ruthless warfare and hideous weapons, has massacred its own legitimacy. He has made international law, international conventions and countless UN resolutions a mockery and can no longer expect protection from them [...] "

Under the subheading "Israel is not listening" :

[...] “We do not accept the kidnapping of soldiers. But neither do we accept the deportation of entire populations or the kidnapping of legally elected parliamentarians and ministers. We recognize the 1948 State of Israel, but not the 1967 State. It is the State of Israel that does not recognize, respect, and refer to the 1948 State of Israel, which conforms to international law. Israel wants more: more water and more villages. To do that there are those who, with God's help, want a final solution to the Palestinian problem. "The Palestinians have so many other countries," have argued certain Israeli politicians; 'we only have one.' "

In the last paragraph:

“We do not recognize the State of Israel. Not today, not at the moment we write this, not in the hour of sadness and anger. If the entire Israeli nation succumbs to its own actions and parts of the population have to flee from the occupied territories to a new diaspora, then we say: May those around remain calm and show them mercy. It is an eternal crime without extenuating circumstances to lay hands on refugees and stateless peoples [...] "

Numerous voices accused Gaarder of anti-Semitism based on this essay , others defended him against this accusation.

One of his Israeli publishers, Schocken Publishing House , terminated the contract with Jostein Gaarder on August 9, 2006 due to his anti-Israeli comment. Schocken publisher Racheli Edelman was considering taking legal action against Jostein Gaarder.
His sharp critic Mona Levin is quoted as saying: "Since Hitler's ' Mein Kampf ' I haven't read anything more anti-Semitic!"

On August 10th it said about Gaarder in the FAZ : "The only thing that he really regrets is having hurt people - and his" disrespectful "description of the Ten Commandments, which he called" funny stone tablets "."

On August 12th, Gaarder wrote in the Aftenposten a clarification on the allegations against him. There he explains u. a .:

"Not a God-given mandate"
Many said that I mixed religion and politics. I tried the exact opposite. When I gave the comment the title 'God's Chosen People', it was done to underline that in this conflict we must never accept that any party invokes a divine mandate [...]
“This is primarily what we can call 'Christian-Zionist' ideas , which I meant, ideas that God continues to have a plan for the Jews, and what is happening in the Middle East today , is a warning of Judgment Day, the Second Coming of Jesus , etc. "

On September 8, Deutschlandradio conducted an interview with Gaarder, in which he stated that his criticism of Israel arose out of “fear for Israel”, similar to how he would be afraid for his child if it behaved violently towards others. Regarding the anti-Semitism allegation, he said it was “stupid and dangerous” to call critics of Israel anti-Semites. Anti-Semitism is “the worst thing there is. It is similar to being a pedophile. ”In the interview, he also indicated that he recognized Israel's right to exist and that he had never denied it. He used the phrase “we no longer recognize Israel” in the sense of withdrawing recognition from a group or person, in this case Israel, for its achievements and deeds.

Works

Title of the first German edition by Sofies verden .
  • Diagnosen og other noveller , 1986.
  • Froskeslottet. 1988.
  • Cabal mystery. 1990.
  • Sofies verden. 1991.
  • Julemysteriet. 1992.
  • with Klaus Hagerup : Bibbi Bokkens magiske bibliotek. 1993.
  • I et speil, i en gåte. 1993.
  • Hello? He det noen? 1996.
  • Vita Brevis. 1996.
  • Maya. 1999.
  • Sirkusdirektørens datter. 2001.
  • Appelsinpiken. 2003.
  • Slottet i Pyreneene. 2008.
  • Anna. In the fable of Kloden's climate and miljø. 2013.
  • Dukeforeren. 2016.

In German translation

Audiobooks (excerpt)

  • Sofie's world. The Hörverlag, Munich 2003, ISBN 3-89940-255-3 . (4 CDs 400 min., Read by Gunda Aurich, Christoph Bantzer, Ulrike Bliefert, Peter Fitz, Matthias Habich and others)
  • The woman with the red cloth. The Hörverlag, Munich 2012, ISBN 978-3-86717-573-9 . (abridged, 4 CDs 277 min., read by Beate Himmelstoss and Hans Kremer)
  • 2084 - Nora's world. The Hörverlag, Munich 2013, ISBN 978-3-8445-1189-5 . (unabridged reading, 1 MP3-CD 283 min., read by Rosalie Thomass)

literature

Web links

Commons : Jostein Gaarder  - collection of images, videos and audio files
Wikiquote: Jostein Gaarder  - Quotes

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Winner of the Bokhandler Prize , bokhandlerforeningen.no, accessed August 29, 2019
  2. ↑ a b c Philosopher and author Jostein Gaarder in Lübeck - The Blue Side. In: www.die-blaue-seite.de. Retrieved November 18, 2019 .
  3. ↑ Jostein Gaarder: Guds utvalgte folk , Aftenposten, August 5, 2006. (norw.)
  4. ↑ a b Jostein Gaarder withdraws recognition from Israel - German translation of Gaarder's essay, kulturtechnik.twoday.net, August 10, 2006.
  5. ^ English translation of Gaarder's essay by the Simon-Wiesenthal-Center Paris ( Memento from August 20, 2006 in the Internet Archive ) norskisraelsenter.no, August 8, 2006.
  6. ↑ a b Styggeste jeg har lest ( Memento of August 7, 2006 in the Internet Archive ) In: Aftenposten. August 5, 2006 (norw.)
  7. ↑ Gaarder støter jødene ( Memento from January 22, 2009 in the Internet Archive ) In: Aftenposten. August 7, 2006 (norw.)
  8. ↑ From criticism to taboo. In: taz.de . August 15, 2006, accessed December 24, 2014 .
  9. ↑ Forlag dropper Jostein Gaarder. Danmarks Radio , August 9, 2006. (Danish)
  10. ↑ Jostein Gaarder in the crossfire . In: FAZ.net . No. 184 , August 9, 2006, p. 40 ( faz.net [accessed December 24, 2014]).
  11. ↑ Forsøk på klargjøring ( Memento of 13 August 2006 at the Internet Archive ) In: Aftenposten. August 12, 2006. (norw.)
  12. ↑ Jostein Gaarder: "I am afraid for Israel". ( Memento from September 7, 2012 in the web archive archive.today ) In: netzeitung.de
  13. ↑ "I'm afraid of Israel" (archive) In: www.dradio.de
personal data
SURNAME Gaarder, Jostein
BRIEF DESCRIPTION Norwegian writer
DATE OF BIRTH August 8, 1952
PLACE OF BIRTH Oslo