Wend Kässens

Wend Kässens (* 1947 in Hamburg ) is a German editor , publicist and moderator .

Life

Wend Kässens passed the Abitur at the Odenwald School near Heppenheim. He studied German , sociology and philosophy in Hamburg and was dramaturge at the Stadttheater in Pforzheim, at the Deutsches Schauspielhaus under Ivan Nagel in Hamburg and from 1978 to 1981 lecturer at the Suhrkamp-Theaterverlag in Frankfurt. From 1981 to 1991 he was cultural editor at NDR , from 1991 to 2008 head of the literary department at NDR Kultur . Since 2009 he has been working as a freelance critic, publicist and presenter. In the summer semester of 2010 he had a teaching position at Leuphana University in Lüneburg .

In 1985, Kässens and friends initiated and founded the RANDLAGE ESCHEDE cultural association in the Südheide Nature Park and was its chairman until 2000. Since it was founded, the association has carried out over 250 events in all arts, including numerous premieres and premieres. The list of artists ranges from HC Artmann to Martin Walser , from the bremer shakespeare company to the Vienna Burgtheater , from Mauricio Kagel to Kenny Wheeler . The highlights were 1986, 1989, 1992 and 2000 "Heide (n) Spektel" festivals for all arts in the spirit of Arno Schmidt , with George Tabori among others .

Wend Kässens is married, has a son and has lived in Hamburg again since 2009.

He is a member of the PEN Center Germany ; he is also the managing director of the German Literature Fund .

Publications (selection)

• Editor of the following novels by George Tabori :
  • A good murder , 1992, Steidl Verlag
  • Death in Port Aarif , 1994, Steidl Verlag
  • The victim , 1996, Steidl Verlag
  • Companions to the left hand , 1999, Steidl Verlag
  • In addition, published by Der Spielmacher, Talks with George Tabori , 2004, Wagenbach Verlag
• Editor of the following journals by the Swiss writer Paul Nizon :
  • The first editions of feelings, Journal 1961-1972 , 2002, Suhrkamp Verlag
  • The screenplay of love, Journal 1973-1979 , 2004, Suhrkamp Verlag
  • The courier's note, Journal 1990-1999 , 2008, Suhrkamp Verlag
  • Forgery of documents, Journal 2000 - 2010 , 2011, Suhrkamp-Verlag
• Wend Kässens, Michael Töteberg: Marieluise Fleißer , dtv, Munich 1979
• Wend Kässens, Michael Töteberg (eds.): Marieluise Fleißer, Der Tiefseefisch: Texts, Fragments, Materials , Suhrkamp Verlag, Frankfurt 1980
• Jörg W. Gronius, Wend Kässens: Theatermacher , Athenaeum, Frankfurt 1987
• Jörg W. Gronius, Wend Kässens: Tabori , Athenäum, Frankfurt 1989
• Wend Kässens: Big things happen so simply, On the way in life and writing , Corso, Hamburg 2011

Awards

• 1985 Critic in Residence at Washington University in St. Louis, Mo.
• 1999 Max Kade Fellow at Washington University in St. Louis, Mo.
• 2007 together with Raoul Schrott “Rinke” from the Guntram and Irene Rinke Foundation for the audio book “Dichter am Ball”, 50 new football poems, Eichborn Lido, Frankfurt 2006.

Web links

• Literature by and about Wend Kässens in the catalog of the German National Library
• Homepage of Wend Kässens