Which works of Peter Handke should I read?

November 24, 2006 1:36 PM

Any fans of Peter Handke here? I tripped over his wikipedia entry, and he seems like someone I would enjoy reading. Where should I start?

Any preference for his plays over his novels, or things of that nature? Advice on favoured translations also welcome. Thanks!

posted by hototogisu to Writing & Language (7 answers total)

He is an acquired taste. Maybe you're best start would be with the films he wrote scenarios for. Like Wim Wenders' movie 'Himmel über Berlin'.

I am able to read German, so I don't know anything about translations.

Why would you think you like to read him?
posted by ijsbrand at 2:36 PM on November 24, 2006

I like his play (or rather anti-play) "Publikumsbeschimpfung" ("audience vituperation"), which is an attempt at a play that deconstructs the framing of the theatre by constantly proclaiming itself as not being a play.

The actors directly address the audience for the entire duration of the piece. To give you an impression, I'll translate the first few lines:

"You are welcome.

This piece is a prelogue.

You will hear nothing you haven't heard before. You will see nothing you haven't seen before. You will see none of the things you are used to seeing here. You will not hear anything you are used to hearing here.

You will hear what you have otherwise seen.
You will hear what you have otherwise not seen.
You will not see a spectacle.
Your curiosity will not be satisfied.
You will not see a performance.
Nothing will be performed here.
You will see a spectacle without images."

A notable work of fiction by Handke is "Die Angst des Tormanns beim Elfmeter" ("The goalkeeper's fear during the penalty shoot"). I also read "Versuch über die Jukebox" ("Essay on the juke box"), but found it meandering in a road-movie kind of way, but quite boring.
posted by Herr Fahrstuhl at 3:50 PM on November 24, 2006

Play "Hamletmachine" if you know "Hamlet" very well.
posted by rainbaby at 4:44 PM on November 24, 2006

In highschool we started with "Wunschloses Unglück" ("A Sorrow Beyond Dreams. A Life Story") and then "Der kurze Brief zum langen Abschied" ("Short Letter, Long Farewell"), they are both quite short and a good sample of his works.

Also, to make inroads into his thinking in a piece-wise way, I liked "Die Geschichte des Bleistifts" ("History of the Pencil"), which is a collection of random thoughts, very short texts, anecdotes, etc. that are not directly related, so you can read a page and put the book down again, and when you pick it up again you don't need to retrace the thread.
posted by meijusa at 2:30 AM on November 25, 2006

"Audience vituperation," (mentioned above) translated and published in English as "Offending the Audience," will make you think. (I performed the play 15 years ago, and I'm still thinking about it.) Handke's fiction, on the other hand, will make you feel. "The Left-Handed Woman" is a good place to start.
posted by hsoltz at 12:08 PM on November 27, 2006

I absolutely love The Goalie's Anxiety at the Penalty Kick, but haven't been able to get through any of his other books.
posted by smich at 12:19 PM on November 28, 2006

some information for those interested in the work of peter handke, from his first american translator and editor, michael roloff

http://www.handke.scriptmania.com
+ 12 subsites, to prose, drama, film, etc

the
http://www.handketrans.scriptmania.com site contains an essay of mine with suggestions how to update the insults of what i now call "public insult"

the title of "goalie" is "the goalie's anxiety at the penalty kick"

the "essay [or "assaying" as i would have translated] on the juke box is a circular delving, straightforward in the sense of a slow but concentrated wood boring borer!

http://www.handkelectures.freeservers.com

on the drama


a book of mine on handke, in german, coming on line

http://www.kultur.at/lesen/index.htm

an interview, about handke, also in german


http://begleitschreiben.twoday.net/stories/2504464/
posted by mkerol at 5:46 AM on November 30, 2006