Günther Nenning
Encyclopedia
DDr. Günther Nenning was a famous Austria
n journalist
, author and political activist.
Günther Nenning was born in Vienna
, Austria. After an excellent performance in high school, Nenning served from 1940 to 1945 in the German Wehrmacht
. At the end of World War II
he was arrested by US forces, but soon released on condition that he stay in the Western sector. He studied linguistics
and religious studies
in Graz
, being promoted Dr. phil. and Dr. rer. pol. in 1949 and 1959 respectively.
He died in Waidring
, Tyrol
aged 84.
in Vienna, in 1965 he followed Friedrich Torberg
as owner and chief editor, changing the name to NEUES FORVM. Nenning left the journal in 1970, handing it over as community property to a club of writers and employees. He founded a youth journal in 1973, but due to legal and financial problems had to stop it in 1975. Since the early 1970s he wrote as a columnist for major Austrian newspapers.
Joining the socialist faction of the Austrian Trade Union Federation
(ÖGB), in 1960 he became chairman of the Austrian Journalists' Union. Accused of intending to form his own media union, in 1985 he was expelled from the Austrian Trade Union Federation, causing hundreds of journalists to leave the ÖGB in protest. In 1990 he was fully rehabilitated, and received honors for 50 years of membership in 2000.
, greens
and conservatism
). He participated in the protests for an Austrian media reform in 1964, in the early 1970s against the war in Vietnam
, and in 1978 against the planned nuclear power plant in Zwentendorf
.
In 1984 he was one of the leading protesters against the Danube
power plant at Hainburg
, which earned him the nickname "Auhirsch" (meadow deer). He was one of the most influential mentors in the early years of the then forming Austrian Green Party
. His green activities and ecologically motivated rants against socialist Members of Parliament caused the Austrian socialist party
to expel him in 1985. A month later Nenning joined the Swiss socialist party
.
Nenning had always been an ardent activist for women's rights, and called himself a convinced feminist
.
(Austrian television). Among others, he was TV host of the talk show Club 2 (ORF
) and host of the German TV talk show III nach 9 (ARD). In addition to his many authored books, Nenning spent the final year of his life editing a 21-volume anthology of Austrian literature after 1945, first called "Austrokoffer" (Austro-suitcase; it was designed to fit in a large, brightly decorated carrying case) and then received the less controversial title of "Landvermessung" (Land-measuring or Land-surveying). It became a cause celebre when critics felt that Nenning was unqualified to edit such a collection and some major authors like Elfriede Jelinek
refused to contribute work due to government funding of the project. 139 authors eventually found representation in the well-designed collection, which had to be issued in a second limited edition due to public demand.
Austria
Austria , officially the Republic of Austria , is a landlocked country of roughly 8.4 million people in Central Europe. It is bordered by the Czech Republic and Germany to the north, Slovakia and Hungary to the east, Slovenia and Italy to the south, and Switzerland and Liechtenstein to the...
n journalist
Journalist
A journalist collects and distributes news and other information. A journalist's work is referred to as journalism.A reporter is a type of journalist who researchs, writes, and reports on information to be presented in mass media, including print media , electronic media , and digital media A...
, author and political activist.
Günther Nenning was born in Vienna
Vienna
Vienna is the capital and largest city of the Republic of Austria and one of the nine states of Austria. Vienna is Austria's primary city, with a population of about 1.723 million , and is by far the largest city in Austria, as well as its cultural, economic, and political centre...
, Austria. After an excellent performance in high school, Nenning served from 1940 to 1945 in the German Wehrmacht
Wehrmacht
The Wehrmacht – from , to defend and , the might/power) were the unified armed forces of Nazi Germany from 1935 to 1945. It consisted of the Heer , the Kriegsmarine and the Luftwaffe .-Origin and use of the term:...
. At the end of World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
he was arrested by US forces, but soon released on condition that he stay in the Western sector. He studied linguistics
Linguistics
Linguistics is the scientific study of human language. Linguistics can be broadly broken into three categories or subfields of study: language form, language meaning, and language in context....
and religious studies
Religious studies
Religious studies is the academic field of multi-disciplinary, secular study of religious beliefs, behaviors, and institutions. It describes, compares, interprets, and explains religion, emphasizing systematic, historically based, and cross-cultural perspectives.While theology attempts to...
in Graz
Graz
The more recent population figures do not give the whole picture as only people with principal residence status are counted and people with secondary residence status are not. Most of the people with secondary residence status in Graz are students...
, being promoted Dr. phil. and Dr. rer. pol. in 1949 and 1959 respectively.
He died in Waidring
Waidring
Waidring is a municipality in the Kitzbühel district in Tyrol, Austria, located 20 km northeast of Kitzbühel and 9 km east of Kirchdorf in Tirol near the border with Salzburg. The village was mentioned for the first time as „Waitheringen“ in documents from 1147. It has about 1,850 inhabitants....
, Tyrol
Tyrol (state)
Tyrol is a state or Bundesland, located in the west of Austria. It comprises the Austrian part of the historical region of Tyrol.The state is split into two parts–called North Tyrol and East Tyrol–by a -wide strip of land where the state of Salzburg borders directly on the Italian province of...
aged 84.
Journalism
During his studies he started his journalistic career, first as a writer, later as vice chief editor of the socialist daily newspaper Neue Zeit. In 1958 he switched as co-owner to the cultural journal FORVMFORVM
FORVM was an Austrian cultural and political magazine, published in Vienna from 1954 till 1995, founded by Friedrich Hansen-Loeve, Felix Hubalek, Alexander Lernet-Holenia und Friedrich Torberg with the financial and logistical support of the Congress for Cultural Freedom...
in Vienna, in 1965 he followed Friedrich Torberg
Friedrich Torberg
Friedrich Torberg is the pen-name of Friedrich Kantor, an Austrian writer.- Biography :...
as owner and chief editor, changing the name to NEUES FORVM. Nenning left the journal in 1970, handing it over as community property to a club of writers and employees. He founded a youth journal in 1973, but due to legal and financial problems had to stop it in 1975. Since the early 1970s he wrote as a columnist for major Austrian newspapers.
Joining the socialist faction of the Austrian Trade Union Federation
Austrian Trade Union Federation
-External links:*...
(ÖGB), in 1960 he became chairman of the Austrian Journalists' Union. Accused of intending to form his own media union, in 1985 he was expelled from the Austrian Trade Union Federation, causing hundreds of journalists to leave the ÖGB in protest. In 1990 he was fully rehabilitated, and received honors for 50 years of membership in 2000.
Politics
Nenning's political views were "multicolored", and not confined to a single party. He termed himself "Rot–grün–hellschwarzer" (red–green–light-black, referring to socialismSocialism
Socialism is an economic system characterized by social ownership of the means of production and cooperative management of the economy; or a political philosophy advocating such a system. "Social ownership" may refer to any one of, or a combination of, the following: cooperative enterprises,...
, greens
Green politics
Green politics is a political ideology that aims for the creation of an ecologically sustainable society rooted in environmentalism, social liberalism, and grassroots democracy...
and conservatism
Conservatism
Conservatism is a political and social philosophy that promotes the maintenance of traditional institutions and supports, at the most, minimal and gradual change in society. Some conservatives seek to preserve things as they are, emphasizing stability and continuity, while others oppose modernism...
). He participated in the protests for an Austrian media reform in 1964, in the early 1970s against the war in Vietnam
Vietnam War
The Vietnam War was a Cold War-era military conflict that occurred in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia from 1 November 1955 to the fall of Saigon on 30 April 1975. This war followed the First Indochina War and was fought between North Vietnam, supported by its communist allies, and the government of...
, and in 1978 against the planned nuclear power plant in Zwentendorf
Zwentendorf
Zwentendorf an der Donau is a small market municipality in Lower Austria, Austria, with 3,280 inhabitants. It is located at , in the Tullnerfeld on the southern bank of the Danube. The place attained celebrity as the site of the only Austrian nuclear power station, which was established here, but...
.
In 1984 he was one of the leading protesters against the Danube
Danube
The Danube is a river in the Central Europe and the Europe's second longest river after the Volga. It is classified as an international waterway....
power plant at Hainburg
Hainburg an der Donau
Hainburg an der Donau is a town in the Bruck an der Leitha district, Lower Austria, Austria.-Geography:The city Hainburg is located next to the Danube river and Bratislava in Slovakia and 50 km east of Vienna. It is part of the Industrial Quarter Industrieviertel in Lower Austria.45.87% of the...
, which earned him the nickname "Auhirsch" (meadow deer). He was one of the most influential mentors in the early years of the then forming Austrian Green Party
Austrian Green Party
The Greens – The Green Alternative is a political party in the Austrian parliament.The party was formed in 1986 with the name Grüne Alternative, following the merger of the more conservative Green party Vereinte Grüne Österreichs and the more progressive party Alternative Liste Österreichs The...
. His green activities and ecologically motivated rants against socialist Members of Parliament caused the Austrian socialist party
SPO
- Technology :SPO: Microsoft SharePoint Online, Microsoft Cloud Computing, Office 365. See Microsoft Online Services-Economics:* Secondary Public Offering, an equity capital market instrument...
to expel him in 1985. A month later Nenning joined the Swiss socialist party
Social Democratic Party of Switzerland
The Social Democratic Party of Switzerland is the largest centre-left political party in Switzerland....
.
Nenning had always been an ardent activist for women's rights, and called himself a convinced feminist
Feminism
Feminism is a collection of movements aimed at defining, establishing, and defending equal political, economic, and social rights and equal opportunities for women. Its concepts overlap with those of women's rights...
.
Books and TV
Günther Nenning was a prolific author, who also directed TV movies and a documentary for the ORFORF
ORF may refer to:* ORF , the Austrian public service broadcaster.* Open reading frame, a portion of the genome.* The IATA airport code for Norfolk International Airport in Norfolk, Virginia.* ORF format , Olympus raw image file format....
(Austrian television). Among others, he was TV host of the talk show Club 2 (ORF
ORF
ORF may refer to:* ORF , the Austrian public service broadcaster.* Open reading frame, a portion of the genome.* The IATA airport code for Norfolk International Airport in Norfolk, Virginia.* ORF format , Olympus raw image file format....
) and host of the German TV talk show III nach 9 (ARD). In addition to his many authored books, Nenning spent the final year of his life editing a 21-volume anthology of Austrian literature after 1945, first called "Austrokoffer" (Austro-suitcase; it was designed to fit in a large, brightly decorated carrying case) and then received the less controversial title of "Landvermessung" (Land-measuring or Land-surveying). It became a cause celebre when critics felt that Nenning was unqualified to edit such a collection and some major authors like Elfriede Jelinek
Elfriede Jelinek
Elfriede Jelinek is an Austrian playwright and novelist. She was awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature in 2004 for her "musical flow of voices and counter-voices in novels and plays that, with extraordinary linguistic zeal, reveal the absurdity of society's clichés and their subjugating power."-...
refused to contribute work due to government funding of the project. 139 authors eventually found representation in the well-designed collection, which had to be issued in a second limited edition due to public demand.