Wolf Wondratschek (German pronunciation:[ˈvɔlfˈvɔndʁat͡ʃɛk]ⓘ; born August 14, 1943) is a Germanauthor. He was born inRudolstadt inThuringia.
Wondratschek grew up inKarlsruhe. From 1962 through 1967, he studiedliterature,philosophy andsociology at theRuprecht Karl University of Heidelberg,Georg-August University of Göttingen, and theJohann Wolfgang Goethe University of Frankfurt am Main. In 1968, Wolf won the prestigious Leonce and Lena Prize for poetry given by the city ofDarmstadt.[1] The next year, Wolf's first book,Früher begann der Tag mit einer Schußwunde, came out to critical acclaim;[2] the short stories which included his famous piece,Mittagspause. During 1970 and 1971, Wolf was a Research Fellow at theUniversity of Warwick.[3] In 1970, he won theHörspielpreis der Kriegsblinden for hisradio playPaul oder die Zerstörung (Paul or the Destruction).[4] He continued to publish both poetry and prose during the 1980s, when he took an extended vacation to the United States, and Mexico. Upon his return to Germany, Wondratschek settled into residences in Munich and Vienna, publishing not only poetry and prose, but also radio plays and screenplays. In 2012, Wolf was awarded theLiteraturpreis der Wilhelm und Christine Hirschmann-Stiftung, aBavarian literary prize.[5]
Wondratschek was influenced mainly by writers fromGruppe 47, such asIngeborg Bachmann andPaul Celan. His work is characterized by its sparseness and usage of "colloquial language; his sentences are short and clear, grammatically reduced to a minimum."[6]
