Peter Härtling on himself and his work
For almost forty years, the novels and stories, poems, essays, children’s books, criticism and many other writings of Peter Härtling have been among the most-read works of German contemporary literature. Moreover, like virtually no other author of his generation, Härtling has tackled every possible assignment in the journalistic and literary sphere, following his times with a sharp and critical eye. The Nazi era, his parents’ early death, being forced to grow up far too quickly in the both open and reactionary Federal Republic of Germany – these were all shocks to Härtling, driving the writer’s mobile ego to search constantly for self-assurance while also making him wary of speaking too directly about himself. This lends his extensive oeuvre a special tension, while also inciting him to keep asking questions time and again. Questioned and spurred on by the author and literary scholar Jürgen Krätzer, Peter Härtling talks about his life and work in the most extensive and open conversation he has participated in to date.
