Thomas Berger (author, 1952)

Thomas Berger

Thomas Berger (born February 2, 1952 in Magdeburg ) is a German author and theologian.

Life

Thomas Berger studied Evang. Theology. Initially he worked as archive manager at the Allensbach Institute for Demoscopy. Then high school teacher for Latin and religious studies from 1980 to 2016 in Kelkheim (Taunus) . He has published since 1979. The first contribution appeared in: Operations. Journal of Social Policy No. 40/41. Several publications have followed since then. Berger moderated a poetry slam three times in the Kulturbahnhof Kelkheim-Münster. Students performed their own texts in these poetry competitions.

The author continues to give regular public readings, gives lectures on literary, philosophical, theological and political topics and is involved in various projects.

Literary work

Despite the variety of genres in which Thomas Berger is literarily active, the following themes mainly shape his work: the relationship between words and silence, the mutual dependence of light and darkness, the preservation of individuality, the bond with nature, the connection to Motifs from Greco-Roman antiquity as well as the work of various writers.

The book publications include the literary genres of poetry, short stories, essays, short intellectual prose, haiku and aphorisms . The author has also contributed to numerous anthologies, for example aphorisms in: Journal for Philosophy of the Blue Rider , Issue No. 40 (2017).

The characteristics of Thomas Berger's linguistic style include clarity, the avoidance of coloring, conciseness of expression and the renunciation of everyday language. In his book From Haiku to Haiku. The author combines a journey through the seasons with the charm of poetic snapshots, which define the essence of haiku poetry, with his own drawings that are reminiscent of Japanese ink painting. In the article of the Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung 17 Syllables Must Be (August 11, 2010) it says about Thomas Berger: "In his haikus he wants to combine nature and classical music."

To mark the 500th anniversary of the Reformation, his book "Reformation as Legacy" was published. Subsequently, on the 550th anniversary of Johannes Gutenberg's death, Berger published the essay "Gutenberg and the Reformation - A Consequential Alliance" (2018).

Thomas Berger's new stories and poems have appeared in the volumes "Andernorts" and "Am Wegesrand".

Thomas Berger combines literature and art. He has written a number of poems about artistic personalities and has given speeches at art exhibitions. The speeches are published in "Colors and Words. Two Speeches on Art" (2012). In 2016 he wrote all of the accompanying texts for the art book "Faces of a City" by the graphic artist and painter Jörg Strobel. He also accompanies artistic exhibitions with introductory speeches and lectures.

Awards

• Culture Prize of the City of Kelkheim 2018
• Language award of the German Language Association (VDS) 2014
• Inge Czernik Prize for Poetry 2012, 2nd place

Benefactor

Thomas Berger is the founder of the literary prize named after him. The Thomas Berger Literature Prize will be awarded for the first time in 2019. The award serves to promote contemporary literature.

Memberships

Thomas Berger is a member of the following institutions: German Aphorism Archive (DAphA) Hattingen eV, German Haiku Society eV , Free German Authors Association (FDA) Landesverband Hessen eV, Museumsverein Kelkheim eV, editorial team of Kelkheimer Herbstblätter.

Volunteering

Thomas Berger supports the work of the narrative café of the Evangelical Stephen Church in Kelkheim with readings.

Fonts

• The European peace project. Plädoyers, edition federleicht, Frankfurt am Main (2019), ISBN 978-3-946112-46-4
• "In the middle of the European night ..." Renewal of social democracy from the spirit of "Mediterranean thinking" (Albert Camus), edition federleicht, Frankfurt am Main (2019), ISBN 978-3-946112-13-6
• Gutenberg and the Reformation - An alliance with significant consequences, edition federleicht, Frankfurt am Main (2018), ISBN 978-3-946112-32-7
• Reformation as a legacy, Azur Verlag, Wildflecken (2017), ISBN 978-3-934634-89-3
• Along the way. Poems, Edition Märkische LebensArt, Storkow, Mark (2017), ISBN 978-3-943614-14-5
• Elsewhere. Stories, Edition Märkische LebensArt, Storkow, Mark (2017), ISBN 978-3-943614-15-2
• Places and words. Impressions, edition federleicht, Frankfurt am Main (2016), ISBN 978-3-946112-19-8
• Words in stone. Aphorisms, Edition Pauer, Kelkheim (2016), ISBN 978-3-00-053410-2
• Jörg Strobel, Faces of a City. A play with a brush and pen (accompanying texts by Thomas Berger), Societäts-Verlag, Frankfurt am Main (2016), ISBN 978-3-95542-212-7
• Curious encounters. Animal & Human, edition federleicht, Frankfurt am Main (2015), ISBN 978-3-946112-05-1
• Albert Camus. Absurdity and happiness, edition federleicht, Frankfurt am Main (2015), ISBN 978-3-946112-01-3
• On the thread of life. Haiku, Neue Cranach Presse, Kronach (2015), special edition with an edition of 50 copies
• Solo part. Stories, Offenbacher Editions, Offenbach (2014), ISBN 978-3-939537-31-1
• Garden of wild grace. Poems (with watercolors by Adelheid Bieger), Czernik-Verlag / Edition L, Speyer (2012), ISBN 978-3-943035-05-6
• Islands in the stream of time. Poems (with watercolors by Adelheid Bieger), Czernik-Verlag / Edition L, Speyer (2011), ISBN 978-3-934960-99-2
• Echoes of the unspeakable. Poems, Czernik-Verlag / Edition L, Speyer (2011), ISBN 978-3-934960-92-3
• Between aleph and dew. Poems, Czernik-Verlag / Edition L, Speyer (2010), ISBN 978-3-934960-86-2
• Gate to return. Poems, Czernik-Verlag / Edition L, Speyer (2010), ISBN 978-3-934960-84-8
• Myrtle branch. Poems, Karin Fischer Verlag, Aachen (2010), ISBN 978-3-89514-940-5
• Larva dance. Poems, Karin Fischer Verlag, Aachen (2009), ISBN 978-3-89514-900-9
• From haiku to haiku. A journey through the seasons, M.-G.-Schmitz-Verlag, Nordstrand (2002), ISBN 978-3-922272-75-5
• Retreat into the night. Haiku, M.-G.-Schmitz-Verlag, Nordstrand (2000), ISBN 978-3-922272-57-1
• Ice blue. A portrait, RG Fischer Verlag, Frankfurt am Main (1996), ISBN 978-3-89501-436-9

Web links

• Literature by and about Thomas Berger in the catalog of the German National Library

Individual evidence

1. ↑ [1] the blue rider. Journal für Philosophie, Issue No. 40 (2017), ISBN 978-3-933722-51-5 , accessed April 21, 2017.
2. ↑ From haiku to haiku. A journey of the seasons / Thomas Berger, M.-G.-Schmitz-Verlag, 2002, ISBN 978-3-922272-75-5
3. ↑ 17 syllables have to be. FAZ, August 11, 2010, accessed on September 29, 2015
4. ↑ [2] Reformation as a Legacy, accessed on April 21, 2017
5. ↑ [3] Gutenberg and the Reformation - A Consequential Alliance, accessed on October 27, 2018
6. ^ [4] Elsewhere. Stories accessed on April 21, 2017
7. ↑ [5] By the wayside. Poems accessed on April 21, 2017
8. ↑ colors and words. Two speeches on art: "Of darkness and light", finissage of the exhibition Licht und Schatten (2011) and "Place where outer and inner world become one", opening of the exhibition of the same name (2012)
9. ^ Articles by the author Thomas Berger on art , accessed on April 9, 2016.
10. ↑ VDS-Infobrief 37/2014 ( Memento of the original dated December 8th, 2015 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. , accessed September 29, 2015. 
11. ↑ traces of words: poems / Helga Unger; Thomas Berger; Cordula Ruttmann, Czernik-Verlag Edition L, Speyer 2012, ISBN 978-3-943035-10-0
12. ↑ Thomas Berger Literature Prize , accessed on October 28, 2019.
13. ↑ German Aphorism Archive (DAphA) Hattingen eV, accessed on May 2, 2017
14. ^ Deutsche Haiku-Gesellschaft eV, accessed on August 31, 2016
15. ^ Museumsverein Kelkheim eV, accessed on April 14, 2016
16. ↑ Kelkheim Autumn Leaves , accessed on April 14, 2016.
17. ↑ Evangelische Stephanusgemeinde , accessed on April 14, 2016.