Ernst Hinterberger
Encyclopedia
Ernst Hinterberger is an Austrian writer
of novel
s, particularly detective novels, plays and successful sitcoms. His first TV scripts were unusual for their use of genuine Vienna dialect.
Hinterberger discovered literature in the 1950s through the Bavarian author Oskar Maria Graf
; he began writing when he was 24 or 25 years old.
Since approximately 1954, Hinterberger has lived in a 44 square metre city-owned flat on the Margaretengürtel
in Vienna. His first wife, Margarete ("Gerti") died in 2001 after 45 years of marriage, nine months before the 2002 publication of his book Ein Abschied. Lebenserinnerungen ("A Farewell: Life Memories"). In that book he said he was resigned and wanted nothing more to do with the world. Hinterberger has since remarried, to Karla.
He is a practising Buddhist and has written poems in Chinese style, but they have never appeared in German
.
, came to typify the Viennese renter in the German-speaking world.
Sackbauer is a complainer who is actually a good man at the bottom of his heart, but is always giving in. In contrast, the original figure in Hinterberger's mid-1960s book Das Salz der Erde on which he based the series is a pitiful man in the throes of midlife crisis
, who notices while on holiday in Italy that his control over his family is dissolving. At the end of the book he leaves his wife, fails in his attempt to revive his self-confidence in a bordello, and is last seen uncertain whether in his outburst of emotion he has killed the prostitute or whether she is only injured.
In 2008 Echte Wiener – Die Sackbauer-Saga, a film based on the series, also written by Hinterberger, appeared.
Writer
A writer is a person who produces literature, such as novels, short stories, plays, screenplays, poetry, or other literary art. Skilled writers are able to use language to portray ideas and images....
of novel
Novel
A novel is a book of long narrative in literary prose. The genre has historical roots both in the fields of the medieval and early modern romance and in the tradition of the novella. The latter supplied the present generic term in the late 18th century....
s, particularly detective novels, plays and successful sitcoms. His first TV scripts were unusual for their use of genuine Vienna dialect.
Life
Ernst Hinterberger was the son of an unemployed typesetter, who died when he was seven. He completed training as an electrician, then from 1950 to 1952 he trained at the Vienna Police School to be a police officer, but had to leave a few weeks after beginning work because he suddenly needed glasses, which was not acceptable at the time. Following his time with the police, he first worked as a labourer. In 1958 he married and attended the City of Vienna's Library School, following which he worked for ten years as a librarian in adult education centres. After these libraries were closed in 1968, he worked in shipping in a factory until his retirement in 1991. He was unwilling to rely on writing to provide his entire income. He has lung damage from the factory work.Hinterberger discovered literature in the 1950s through the Bavarian author Oskar Maria Graf
Oskar Maria Graf
Oskar Maria Graf was a German author.He wrote several socialist-anarchist novels and narratives about life in Bavaria, mostly autobiographical.In the beginning Graf wrote under his real name Oskar Graf...
; he began writing when he was 24 or 25 years old.
Since approximately 1954, Hinterberger has lived in a 44 square metre city-owned flat on the Margaretengürtel
Gürtel, Vienna
The Gürtel is a substantial city ring road of Vienna. Running parallel to the famous Ringstraße it encompasses the inner city districts .The road is officially called B 221 Wiener Gürtel Straße...
in Vienna. His first wife, Margarete ("Gerti") died in 2001 after 45 years of marriage, nine months before the 2002 publication of his book Ein Abschied. Lebenserinnerungen ("A Farewell: Life Memories"). In that book he said he was resigned and wanted nothing more to do with the world. Hinterberger has since remarried, to Karla.
He is a practising Buddhist and has written poems in Chinese style, but they have never appeared in German
German language
German is a West Germanic language, related to and classified alongside English and Dutch. With an estimated 90 – 98 million native speakers, German is one of the world's major languages and is the most widely-spoken first language in the European Union....
.
Ein echter Wiener geht nicht unter
Hinterberger's Edmund "Mundl" Sackbauer, (anti-)hero of the television series Ein echter Wiener geht nicht unterEin echter Wiener geht nicht unter
Ein echter Wiener geht nicht unter is a classic Austrian television series. It was produced by Österreichischer Rundfunk, Austrian Television, and ran for 24 episodes from 1975 to 1979...
, came to typify the Viennese renter in the German-speaking world.
Sackbauer is a complainer who is actually a good man at the bottom of his heart, but is always giving in. In contrast, the original figure in Hinterberger's mid-1960s book Das Salz der Erde on which he based the series is a pitiful man in the throes of midlife crisis
Midlife Crisis
"Midlife Crisis" is a song by the American rock band Faith No More. It was released on May 26, 1992 as the first single from their fourth album, Angel Dust...
, who notices while on holiday in Italy that his control over his family is dissolving. At the end of the book he leaves his wife, fails in his attempt to revive his self-confidence in a bordello, and is last seen uncertain whether in his outburst of emotion he has killed the prostitute or whether she is only injured.
In 2008 Echte Wiener – Die Sackbauer-Saga, a film based on the series, also written by Hinterberger, appeared.
Books (selection)
- 1965 Beweisaufnahme ("Taking Evidence"), novel
- 1966 Salz der Erde ("Salt of the Earth"), novel
- 1975 Wer fragt nach uns: Geschichten von kleinen Leuten, armen Hunden und Aussenseitern ("Who Asks for Us: Stories of Little People, Poor Dogs and Outsiders"), historical novel
- 1977 Das Abbruchhaus ("The Demolition House"), novel
- 1984 Jogging, detective novel
- 1988 Superzwölfer ("Super Twelver"), detective novel
- 1989 Kleine Leute ("Little People"), novel
- 1991 Das fehlende W ("The Missing W"), detective novel
- 1992 Und über uns die Heldenahnen ... ("And Above Us the Heroic Ancestors . . ."), detective novel
- 1993 Alleingang ("Walking Alone"), detective novel
- 1993 Kleine Blumen ("Little Flowers"), detective novel
- 1993 Von furzenden Pferden, Ausland und Inländern ("Of Farting Horses, Foreign Countries and Natives"), novel
- 1997 Zahltag ("Pay Day"), detective novel
- 1998 Die dunkle Seite ("The Dark Side"), detective novel
- 2002 Ein Abschied. Lebenserinnerungen ("A Farewell: Life Memories")
Plays
- Im Käfig ("In The Cage")
- Immer ist ja nicht Sonntag ("After All It's not Always Sunday")
- Die Puppe ("The Doll")
- Offene Gesellschaft ("Open Society")
- Swimmingpool
Television
- 1975–79 Ein echter Wiener geht nicht unterEin echter Wiener geht nicht unterEin echter Wiener geht nicht unter is a classic Austrian television series. It was produced by Österreichischer Rundfunk, Austrian Television, and ran for 24 episodes from 1975 to 1979...
("A Genuine Viennese Does not Go Under"), 24-episode sitcom - 1992–99 Kaisermühlen-Blues, 64-episode sitcom - resulted in the spin-off of:
- 2000–05 TrautmannTrautmannTrautmann is a surname of German origin and may refer to:* Andreas Trautmann, German soccer player* Bert Trautmann , German football goalkeeper* Catherine Trautmann , French politician, mayor of Strasbourg...
(Trautman is a detective figure in Kaisermühlen-Blues)
Awards
- City of Vienna Achievement Award, 1971
- Anton Wildgans Prize of Austrian IndustryAnton Wildgans PrizeThe Anton Wildgans Prize of Austrian Industry is a literary award that was endowed in 1962 by the Federation of Austrian Industry. The prize is worth 10,000 Euro and is granted by an independent jury to a young or middle-aged writer of Austrian citizenship....
, for Wer fragt nach uns, 1974 - Golden RomyRomy (TV award)The Romy TV award in honor of the actress Romy Schneider was created in 1990 by the Austrian newspaper Kurier – or rather their movie reviewer Rudolf John, who also designed the 30.5 cm gilded trophy. It recalls a scene from the movie The Swimmingpool with Alain Delon, when Romy Schneider...
, Kurier TV Star, 1993 - Austrian Decoration for Science and Art, 1995
- Gold Award for Service of the City of Vienna, 1996
- Ehrenkieberer ("Honorary Cop"), award from the Vereinigung der Bundeskriminalbeamten Österreichs, shared with Wolfgang Böck, 2001
- Austrian Decoration for Science and Art, 1st Class, 2003
- Goldener Rathausmann ("Gold Town Hall Man") of the City of Vienna, 2007
- Buchliebling Lifetime Award, 2009
- Axel Corti Prize for lifetime achievement, 2010
Sources
- "Die Menschen anschauen", DatumDatum (magazine)Datum is an Austrian monthly magazine.Founded in 2004 by journalist Klaus Stimeder and businessman Hannes Weyringer, Datum is published by the Association to Promote Quality Journalism eleven times a year. The circulation is 10.000 copies...
May 2008
External links
- Works by Ernst Hinterberger at OCLCOCLCOCLC Online Computer Library Center, Inc. is "a nonprofit, membership, computer library service and research organization dedicated to the public purposes of furthering access to the world’s information and reducing information costs"...
Worldcat - Works by Ernst Hinterberger at German National LibraryGerman National LibraryThe German National Library is the central archival library and national bibliographic centre for the Federal Republic of Germany...