Speech 7: Josef Winkler
Josef Winkler comes from a farming background and belongs to the Carinthian micro cosmos, which he left behind to go out and conquer the literary world. With his novel Menschenkind, published in 1979, Winkler laid the foundation for an oeuvre that made him one of the most significant contemporary Austrian authors and won him numerous awards. In his essays and articles Josef Winkler always takes a critical stance on present-day issues. Most recently, for instance, he used his opening speech at the Klagenfurter Literaturtage [Klagenfurt literature festival] to take a swipe at the greed and moral decline of representatives of the people. The FAZ commented on his speech: “It was up to the older generation, represented by Josef Winkler, to cause a stir. In his opening speech he aired the grievances of his home country from a political and poetological standpoint, leaving the dignitaries feeling rather uneasy.”
Speech at the Akademietheater , 1 June 2010
Listen to the lecture:
Part 1:
Part 2:
Picture gallery of the evening:
