Yaak Karsunke
Encyclopedia
Yaak Karsunke is a German
author and actor.
The son of an engineer and the procurer of a publishing house, he grew up in the borough of Pankow
. In 1949 his family moved to Friedenau
. Here Karsunke attended Gymnasium
(high school). In 1953 he passed the Abitur
and studied jurisprudence
for three semesters. From 1955 to 1957 he studied drama at the Max-Reinhardt-Schule, today known as the Ernst Busch High School for Drama. From 1957 to 1964 he made a living doing odd jobs.
In 1964, Karsunke moved to Munich
, where he became involved with the Außerparlamentarische Opposition, becoming a spokesman for the Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament
in 1968. Along with other leftist authors, he founded the literary review Kürbiskern, for which he served as editor in chief from 1965 until August 1968, when he resigned as a protest against the Soviet
repression of the Prague Spring
.
In the early 1970s, Karsunke befriended Rainer Werner Fassbinder
, appearing in his films Love Is Colder Than Death
, Gods of the Plague (both 1969), and Berlin Alexanderplatz
(1980). From 1976 to 1979 he served as Fassbinder's technical adviser at the German Film and Television Academy Berlin
. From 1981 to 1999 he taught creative writing at the Berlin University of the Arts
.
Karsunke has also worked extensively as a lyricist. Since the late-1960s he has written many plays
and radio drama
s. In 1989 he published a crime novel
, Toter Mann, for which he won the Deutscher Krimi Preis in 1990.
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
author and actor.
The son of an engineer and the procurer of a publishing house, he grew up in the borough of Pankow
Pankow
Pankow is the third borough of Berlin. In Berlin's 2001 administrative reform it was merged with the former boroughs of Prenzlauer Berg and Weißensee; the resulting borough retained the name Pankow.- Overview :...
. In 1949 his family moved to Friedenau
Friedenau
Friedenau is a locality within the borough of Tempelhof-Schöneberg in Berlin, Germany. Per population density it is the highest one into the city.- Etymology :...
. Here Karsunke attended Gymnasium
Gymnasium (school)
A gymnasium is a type of school providing secondary education in some parts of Europe, comparable to English grammar schools or sixth form colleges and U.S. college preparatory high schools. The word γυμνάσιον was used in Ancient Greece, meaning a locality for both physical and intellectual...
(high school). In 1953 he passed the Abitur
Abitur
Abitur is a designation used in Germany, Finland and Estonia for final exams that pupils take at the end of their secondary education, usually after 12 or 13 years of schooling, see also for Germany Abitur after twelve years.The Zeugnis der Allgemeinen Hochschulreife, often referred to as...
and studied jurisprudence
Jurisprudence
Jurisprudence is the theory and philosophy of law. Scholars of jurisprudence, or legal theorists , hope to obtain a deeper understanding of the nature of law, of legal reasoning, legal systems and of legal institutions...
for three semesters. From 1955 to 1957 he studied drama at the Max-Reinhardt-Schule, today known as the Ernst Busch High School for Drama. From 1957 to 1964 he made a living doing odd jobs.
In 1964, Karsunke moved to Munich
Munich
Munich The city's motto is "" . Before 2006, it was "Weltstadt mit Herz" . Its native name, , is derived from the Old High German Munichen, meaning "by the monks' place". The city's name derives from the monks of the Benedictine order who founded the city; hence the monk depicted on the city's coat...
, where he became involved with the Außerparlamentarische Opposition, becoming a spokesman for the Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament
Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament
The Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament is an anti-nuclear organisation that advocates unilateral nuclear disarmament by the United Kingdom, international nuclear disarmament and tighter international arms regulation through agreements such as the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty...
in 1968. Along with other leftist authors, he founded the literary review Kürbiskern, for which he served as editor in chief from 1965 until August 1968, when he resigned as a protest against the Soviet
Soviet Union
The Soviet Union , officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics , was a constitutionally socialist state that existed in Eurasia between 1922 and 1991....
repression of the Prague Spring
Prague Spring
The Prague Spring was a period of political liberalization in Czechoslovakia during the era of its domination by the Soviet Union after World War II...
.
In the early 1970s, Karsunke befriended Rainer Werner Fassbinder
Rainer Werner Fassbinder
Rainer Werner Maria Fassbinder was a German movie director, screenwriter and actor. He is considered one of the most important representatives of the New German Cinema.He maintained a frenetic pace in film-making...
, appearing in his films Love Is Colder Than Death
Love Is Colder than Death (film)
Love is Colder than Death is a 1969 German film directed by Rainer Werner Fassbinder. This is Fassbinder's first feature film, and he stars as a petty hood, Franz Biberkopf. Biberkopf's friend, portrayed by actor Ulli Lommel, has been ordered to kill Franz by a crime syndicate...
, Gods of the Plague (both 1969), and Berlin Alexanderplatz
Berlin Alexanderplatz (television)
Berlin Alexanderplatz, originally broadcast in 1980, is a 14-part television film adapted and directed by Rainer Werner Fassbinder from the Alfred Döblin novel of the same name, and stars Günter Lamprecht, Hanna Schygulla, Barbara Sukowa, Elisabeth Trissenaar and Gottfried John...
(1980). From 1976 to 1979 he served as Fassbinder's technical adviser at the German Film and Television Academy Berlin
Deutsche Film- und Fernsehakademie Berlin
The Deutsche Film- und Fernsehakademie Berlin is a film school in Berlin, Germany.In the German film school ranking of FOCUS , the dffb - together with the Academy of Media Arts Cologne and the international filmschool cologne - were ranked as 2nd after the Film Academy Baden-Wuerttemberg...
. From 1981 to 1999 he taught creative writing at the Berlin University of the Arts
Berlin University of the Arts
The Universität der Künste Berlin, UdK is a public art school in Berlin, Germany, one of the four universities in the city...
.
Karsunke has also worked extensively as a lyricist. Since the late-1960s he has written many plays
Play (theatre)
A play is a form of literature written by a playwright, usually consisting of scripted dialogue between characters, intended for theatrical performance rather than just reading. There are rare dramatists, notably George Bernard Shaw, who have had little preference whether their plays were performed...
and radio drama
Radio drama
Radio drama is a dramatized, purely acoustic performance, broadcast on radio or published on audio media, such as tape or CD. With no visual component, radio drama depends on dialogue, music and sound effects to help the listener imagine the characters and story...
s. In 1989 he published a crime novel
Crime fiction
Crime fiction is the literary genre that fictionalizes crimes, their detection, criminals and their motives. It is usually distinguished from mainstream fiction and other genres such as science fiction or historical fiction, but boundaries can be, and indeed are, blurred...
, Toter Mann, for which he won the Deutscher Krimi Preis in 1990.
Works
- Kilroy & andere, Berlin 1967
- Reden und ausreden, Berlin 1969
- Hallo, Irina, Weinheim [u.a.] 1970 (with Dietlind Blech)
- Die Apotse kommen, Munich 1972 (with Riki Hachfeld)
- Bauernoper, Frankfurt am Main 1973 (with Peter Janssens)
- Josef Bachmann. Sonny Liston, Berlin 1973
- Ruhrkampf-Revue, Frankfurt am Main 1975 (with Peter Janssens)
- Da zwischen, Berlin 1979
- Unser schönes Amerika, Frankfurt am Main 1979 (with Wilhelm Dieter SiebertWilhelm Dieter SiebertWilhelm Dieter Siebert was a German composer. During his career he has written mainly for television and films, and also chamber music. He composed an opera Der Untergang der Titanic, which was premiered at the Deutsche Oper Berlin in 1979.-References:* ...
) - Auf die Gefahr hin, Berlin 1982
- Nach Mitternacht, Frankfurt am Main 1982
- Die Guillotine umkreisen, Berlin 1984 (with Arwed D. Gorella)
- Kinder der Liebe, Frankfurt am Main 1986
- Toter Mann, Berlin 1989
- Gespräch mit dem Stein, Berlin 1992
- Hand & Fuß, Munich 2004
In translation
- Arnold WeskerArnold WeskerSir Arnold Wesker is a prolific British dramatist known for his contributions to kitchen sink drama. He is the author of 42 plays, 4 volumes of short stories, 2 volumes of essays, a book on journalism, a children's book, extensive journalism, poetry and other assorted writings...
: Die Freunde, Frankfurt am Main 1970 (with Ingrid Karsunke)