Acceptance speech for Grand Austrian State Prize, 1974, Vienna, HofburgGrave of H.C. Artmann
Hans Carl Artmann (12 June 1921 – 4 December 2000), also known asIb Hansen, was an Austrian poet and writer, most popular for his early poems written inViennese (med ana schwoazzn dintn, 1958), which however, never after were to be the focus of his oeuvre.
Artmann was born inVienna as the son of shoe maker Johann Artmann and his wife Marie (née Schneider). After growing up in Vienna and attendingVolks- & Hauptschule, he worked as an office intern for three years; in 1940, he wasconscripted duringWorld War II, and transferred to a punishment battalion after suffering a war wound in 1941.
Having grown up trilingually, Artmann had an interest in language from an early age on; in 1947, his first publications appeared on radio and in the newspaperNeue Wege. He joined theArt-Club in 1951, and worked withGerhard Rühm andKonrad Bayer from 1952 on. The same year, he also founded the so-calledWiener Gruppe ofavantgarde poets, which he left in 1958.
Starting in 1954, Artmann travelled Europe extensively; he stayed inSweden from 1961 to 1965, living inStockholm,Lund andMalmö, then went to live inBerlin until 1969, to settle down inSalzburg in 1972. AsIb Hansen he had sung at DMGP 1966 with the song "Lille Veninde" placing equal 3rd with 9 points.
He was a founding member of theAnti P.E.N. club in 1973; later that year, he became and stayed president of theGrazer Autorenversammlung until leaving the organization in 1978.
Artmann wrote a number of humorous stories, including parodies ofDracula, (dracula dracula, 1966),Frankenstein, (Frankenstein in Sussex, 1969)[1]andHollywood fantasy films ("In the Gulf of Carpentaria").[2]
He also translated one volume of theAsterix series into Viennese language,Da Legionäa Asterix, which was released in 1999.
H. C. Artmann died from aheart attack on 4 December 2000 in Vienna at the age 79. He was cremated atFeuerhalle Simmering, where his ashes are also buried.
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