Philipp Tingler
Encyclopedia
Philipp Tingler is a Swiss and German writer
, journalist
, economist
and philosopher. His literary and essayistic work is largely an ironic comedy of manners, focused on minds and styles in the upper realms of society.
and Philosophy
at the University of St. Gallen
(Switzerland), the London School of Economics and Political Science, and the University of Zurich
. He was awarded a scholarship by the prestigious German National Academic Foundation (Studienstiftung des deutschen Volkes) and wrote his PhD thesis on the topic of Immanuel Kant
’s transcendental idealism
and its influence on the works of German writer Thomas Mann
, particularly Mann’s aesthetic theory and philosophy of history.
During his time as a student, Tingler worked as a model, e.g., for Smart compact cars
, Alcatel mobile phones
, and Lusso ice cream
. He also published his first novel, the bestselling roman-à-clef entitled Hübsche Versuche (German for “Nice Tries”) which assumes the form of a diary. This debut secured Tingler the annual literary prize of the Swiss canton of Zurich in 2001. In the same year, he was nominated for the Ingeborg-Bachmann-Preis, awarded yearly in Klagenfurt, Austria, as one of the more important awards for younger writers of Germanophone literature. Tingler’s performance in Klagenfurt, however, caused quite a stir and turned out be highly controversial, since he did not at all conformed to the conventions of the traditional German-speaking literary scene. Exactly that milieu became one of the targets in his second book, Ich bin ein Profi, published in 2003.
Besides his literary work, Tingler writes for TV and radio as well as for numerous magazines and newspapers in the German-speaking world, such as Vogue, Stern, Focus, and NZZ am Sonntag. He is the author of a travel column for Welt am Sonntag
, Germany’s biggest upscale Sunday newspaper, and writes a fashion column for the German edition of Condé Nast’s Gentlemen’s Quarterly / GO. He is also a regular contributor to the avantgarde German car-and-culture magazine Ramp.
With a fastidious eye on appearances and social mannerisms, his often self-depreciating humour, and his richly detailed descriptive style, Tingler’s literary work fits into the tradition of an urban and ironic comedy of manners. He satirises society, its superficiality
, dynamics and figures, often with knowing, sometimes thinly-disguised portraits. As a chronicler and commentator of human types and characteristics (as well as the essential aloofness of the writer as an artist), some of his central themes are the subtle (and not-so subtle) signals of class and social distinction, the upkeep of appearances and facades, and the tragicomical failure in light of society’s demands. His writing is spiked with a certain appetite for gossip as well as elements of parody and persiflage and many references to the Anglo-Saxon world and popular culture.
In 2008, Tingler was awarded the Kassel Literary Prize for Young Authors in recognition of the humorous quality of his work at a high artistic level, not least for his novel Fischtal (2007) which portrayed the decay of a bourgeois patrician family in West Berlin.
His latest novel, a modern-day adaption of the myth of Doktor Faust, aptly entitled Doktor Phil, which contains one of the most charming devils in modern literature, was published in March 2010.
Tingler lives in Zurich, Switzerland. He is married to a British-Swiss husband who features prominently in some of his writings, always highlighted as „the best husband of them all“.
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....
, 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...
, economist
Economist
An economist is a professional in the social science discipline of economics. The individual may also study, develop, and apply theories and concepts from economics and write about economic policy...
and philosopher. His literary and essayistic work is largely an ironic comedy of manners, focused on minds and styles in the upper realms of society.
Biography
Tingler studied EconomicsEconomics
Economics is the social science that analyzes the production, distribution, and consumption of goods and services. The term economics comes from the Ancient Greek from + , hence "rules of the house"...
and Philosophy
Philosophy
Philosophy is the study of general and fundamental problems, such as those connected with existence, knowledge, values, reason, mind, and language. Philosophy is distinguished from other ways of addressing such problems by its critical, generally systematic approach and its reliance on rational...
at the University of St. Gallen
University of St. Gallen
The University of St. Gallen is a public research university located in St. Gallen, Switzerland. It is specialized in the fields of business administration, economics, law, and international affairs. The University of St. Gallen is also known as HSG, which is an abbreviation of its former German...
(Switzerland), the London School of Economics and Political Science, and the University of Zurich
University of Zurich
The University of Zurich , located in the city of Zurich, is the largest university in Switzerland, with over 25,000 students. It was founded in 1833 from the existing colleges of theology, law, medicine and a new faculty of philosophy....
. He was awarded a scholarship by the prestigious German National Academic Foundation (Studienstiftung des deutschen Volkes) and wrote his PhD thesis on the topic of Immanuel Kant
Immanuel Kant
Immanuel Kant was a German philosopher from Königsberg , researching, lecturing and writing on philosophy and anthropology at the end of the 18th Century Enlightenment....
’s transcendental idealism
Transcendental idealism
Transcendental idealism is a doctrine founded by German philosopher Immanuel Kant in the eighteenth century. Kant's doctrine maintains that human experience of things is similar to the way they appear to us — implying a fundamentally subject-based component, rather than being an activity that...
and its influence on the works of German writer Thomas Mann
Thomas Mann
Thomas Mann was a German novelist, short story writer, social critic, philanthropist, essayist, and 1929 Nobel Prize laureate, known for his series of highly symbolic and ironic epic novels and novellas, noted for their insight into the psychology of the artist and the intellectual...
, particularly Mann’s aesthetic theory and philosophy of history.
During his time as a student, Tingler worked as a model, e.g., for Smart compact cars
Smart (automobile)
Smart is an automotive branch of Daimler AG. Smart is a German manufacturer of microcars produced in Hambach, France, and Böblingen, Germany...
, Alcatel mobile phones
TCL Corporation
TCL Corporation is a multinational electronics company headquartered in Huizhou, Guangdong, China. In 2010 it was the world's 25th-largest consumer electronics producer and sixth-largest television producer .TCL comprises three listed companies: TCL Corporation , which is listed on the Shenzhen...
, and Lusso ice cream
Langnese
right|thumb|300px|Langnese billboard advertisement as seen in Berlin, Germany.Langnese is the German Heartbrand subsidiary of the Anglo-Dutch company Unilever...
. He also published his first novel, the bestselling roman-à-clef entitled Hübsche Versuche (German for “Nice Tries”) which assumes the form of a diary. This debut secured Tingler the annual literary prize of the Swiss canton of Zurich in 2001. In the same year, he was nominated for the Ingeborg-Bachmann-Preis, awarded yearly in Klagenfurt, Austria, as one of the more important awards for younger writers of Germanophone literature. Tingler’s performance in Klagenfurt, however, caused quite a stir and turned out be highly controversial, since he did not at all conformed to the conventions of the traditional German-speaking literary scene. Exactly that milieu became one of the targets in his second book, Ich bin ein Profi, published in 2003.
Besides his literary work, Tingler writes for TV and radio as well as for numerous magazines and newspapers in the German-speaking world, such as Vogue, Stern, Focus, and NZZ am Sonntag. He is the author of a travel column for Welt am Sonntag
Welt am Sonntag
Welt am Sonntag is a German national Sunday newspaper published by Axel Springer AG, and established in 1948. Its head office is in Berlin, and it has local editions for Berlin, Hamburg, Munich and Düsseldorf....
, Germany’s biggest upscale Sunday newspaper, and writes a fashion column for the German edition of Condé Nast’s Gentlemen’s Quarterly / GO. He is also a regular contributor to the avantgarde German car-and-culture magazine Ramp.
With a fastidious eye on appearances and social mannerisms, his often self-depreciating humour, and his richly detailed descriptive style, Tingler’s literary work fits into the tradition of an urban and ironic comedy of manners. He satirises society, its superficiality
Superficiality
'The principle of superficiality versus depth' has pervaded Western culture since at least the time of Plato: 'the dialectic of truth and appearance,' as the surface image of the latter 'competes with what Plato designates for us beyond appearance as being the Idea'.21stC urban parlance speaks of...
, dynamics and figures, often with knowing, sometimes thinly-disguised portraits. As a chronicler and commentator of human types and characteristics (as well as the essential aloofness of the writer as an artist), some of his central themes are the subtle (and not-so subtle) signals of class and social distinction, the upkeep of appearances and facades, and the tragicomical failure in light of society’s demands. His writing is spiked with a certain appetite for gossip as well as elements of parody and persiflage and many references to the Anglo-Saxon world and popular culture.
In 2008, Tingler was awarded the Kassel Literary Prize for Young Authors in recognition of the humorous quality of his work at a high artistic level, not least for his novel Fischtal (2007) which portrayed the decay of a bourgeois patrician family in West Berlin.
His latest novel, a modern-day adaption of the myth of Doktor Faust, aptly entitled Doktor Phil, which contains one of the most charming devils in modern literature, was published in March 2010.
Tingler lives in Zurich, Switzerland. He is married to a British-Swiss husband who features prominently in some of his writings, always highlighted as „the best husband of them all“.
Awards
- Ehrengabe des Kantons Zürich für Literatur 2001
- Förderpreis zum Kasseler Literaturpreis für grotesken Humor 2008
Works
- Hübsche Versuche. Edition Patrick Frey, Zürich 2000, ISBN 3-905509-26-1
- Ich bin ein Profi. Edition Patrick Frey, Zürich 2003, ISBN 3-905509-45-8
- Juwelen des Schicksals. Kurze Prosa. Kein & Aber, Zürich 2005, ISBN 3-0369-5131-8
- Leute von Welt. Kurze Prosa. Kein & Aber, Zürich 2006, ISBN 3-03-695171-7
- Fischtal. Roman. Kein & Aber, Zürich 2007, ISBN 978-3-03-695506-3
- Stil zeigen! Handbuch für Gesellschaft und Umgangsform. Kein & Aber, 2008, ISBN 978-3-0369-5520-9
- Doktor Phil, Kein & Aber, 2010, ISBN 978-3-0369-5557-5
- Das Abc des guten Benehmens. CD. Edition Kein & Aber, 2008, ISBN 978-3-0369-1241-7
- Dichtung und Kritik. Thomas Mann und der transzendentale Idealismus. Diss. phil. Zürich, 2009
External links
- literature by and about Philipp Tingler https://portal.d-nb.de/opac.htm?query=Woe%3D12842902X&method=simpleSearch
- Reviews of works of Philipp Tingler http://www.perlentaucher.de/autoren/2593/Philipp_Tingler.html
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