Christine Lavant

Christine Lavant (actually Habernig Christine, born Thonhauser; born July 4, 1915 in Groß- Edling at St. Stefan in the Lavant Valley, † 7 June 1973 in Vienna) was an Austrian artist and writer.

Life

Christine Lavant was born as the ninth child of miner George Thonhauser and his wife Anna. The newborn had five weeks scrofula on chest, neck and face and almost blinded. With three years ( 1918) was added in a first pneumonia, which should recur almost every year later. In a hospital stay in 1919, the child was already regarded as no longer viable.

Nevertheless Lavant started school in 1921 in the elementary school in St. Stefan. For a stay in the hospital in Klagenfurt, during which improved her eye condition, she got from her doctor a copy of violinist Rainer Maria Rilke's works given that it resulted in a backpack on the 60 km long walk to Wolfsberg back with him.

1927 worsened their health and now along with a pulmonary tuberculosis and scrofula recurred. After a respected as risky X-ray irradiation but disappeared both diseases with astonishing rapidity, so that Lavant in 1929 was able to finish elementary school. The subsequent visit to the high school but had to be canceled because of the walk for the ailing child seemed too long. The girl is now concerned with smaller domestic work, painting, writing and reading, and began to knit. A 1930 Overlooked otitis media then led to unilateral deafness beinahen.

1931 learned Lavant woman Lintschnig, then one of its most loyal girlfriends know. It now created many watercolors, which she gave away later. At that time, however, came on the first severe depression, the adolescent ultimately compelled to stay with their parents. From the productive phases, a first novel, unknown title, the publisher she submitted in Graz Leykam now arose. Despite positive first reaction Lavant received 1932 a rejection, which led to the destruction of all that has been written and what to give up writing. After severe depression Christine Lavant went in 1935 at his own request in a mental hospital in Klagenfurt. Her experiences has processed records from a madhouse in the text, which was published posthumously.

1937 Christine Lavant met her future husband, the painter Josef Habernig to know. In the same year her father died. 1938 followed the death of the mother. Lavant now had his parents' home, in which they had returned, left again. Again she tried to earn their living by knitting work, but was financially supported by her siblings. In 1939 she married the 30 -year-older Joseph Habernig.

In 1945, she began to write for the first time and sent her thus created poems Family Purtscher, which she passed on to the poetess Paula Grogger. Mediated by Grogger it came so to a meeting with the publisher Viktor Kubczak. But it took until 1948 to under the name " Christine Lavant " here for the first time used in the Brentano Verlag in Stuttgart a galley proof of the poems should appear the night the day, but was lost. The publisher advised the poet to write prose that respond to that desire and narrative authored the child.

In 1949 the story The jug and the book of poems published The unfinished love, 1950, a poetry reading at the St. Veit days of culture to a great personal success of the poet. From the meeting with the painter Werner Berg enjoy longstanding friendship should develop. Then Lavant moved into the house of her friend Lintschnig where she lived with the exception of a one and a half year break until her death.

1952 published the stories Baruscha in Graz with Leykam. 1956 published The begging bowl (poetry ) by Otto Müller in Salzburg. This was followed by the Government funding Prize for Poetry and the Poetry Prize of the New German booklets. From Brentano the story was published, the Rose Ball. About the Tonhof the Carinthian composer Gerhard Lampersberg it comes in contact with representatives of the Viennese avant-garde.

This was followed in 1959 spindle in the Moon (poetry ) by Otto Müller, and 1960 sun bird ( poems) at Horst Heiderhoff in Wülfrath. The band Discard the clay. Poems and stories, the Wieland Schmied published in Stiasny in Graz, the poet acknowledged for the first time with a plant selection. 1962 saw the peacocks cry (poetry ) by Otto Müller. Then ( v. Arnfrid Astel, Heidelberg No. 11, ed. ) Were 13 poems in the lyric booklets published. In 1963, Josef Habernig suffered a stroke that left Christine Lavant also collapse. There was a first stay at the Nursing home.

1966 moved to Klagenfurt Lavant. Published in 1967 half of the heart (poetry ) at Blaeschke in Darmstadt. In 1968 the poet returned back to again cause Nursing home residence to St. Stefan. This was followed in 1969 with the publication Nell earlier stories (edited ( without naming ) of Jeannie Ebner ) at Otto Müller.

1970 was the poet the Grand Austrian State Prize for Literature, but had to stay another back into the Nursing home. 1972 the poems of Grete Luebbe - Grothues from begging bowl, spindle in the moon, and peacocks scream published compiled when Deutscher Taschenbuch Verlag in Munich, while the poet was forced to another stay in the hospital home. On June 7, 1973 Christine Lavant died in the State Hospital Wolfsberg after a stroke.

Awards and honors

Works (selection)

• The child. Narrative. Brentano, Stuttgart 1948.
• The jug. Narrative. Brentano, Stuttgart 1949.
• The unfinished love. Poems. Brentano, Stuttgart 1949.
• Baruscha. Leykam, Graz 1952.
• The begging bowl. Poems. Otto Müller, Salzburg 1956.
• The Rose Ball. Narrative. Brentano, Stuttgart 1956.
• Spindle in the moon. Poems. Otto Müller, Salzburg 1959.
• Sun bird. Poems. Heiderhoff, Wülfrath 1960.
• Discard the clay. Introduced and selected by Wieland Schmied. Stiasny, Graz 1961.
• The peacocks scream. Poems. Otto Müller, Salzburg 1962.
• Half of the heart. Edited by Horst Dieter Heiderhoff and quiet course. Blaeschke, Darmstadt 1967.
• Nell. Four stories. Otto Müller, Salzburg 1969.
• Art is like mine only mutilated lives. Posthumous and scattered published poems, prose and letters. Selected and edited by Armin Wigotschnig and Johann Strutz. Otto Müller, Salzburg 1978.
• Sun bird. Poems. Selected and edited by Roswitha Th Hlawatsch and Horst G. Heiderhoff. Heiderhoff, Forest Brunn 1982.
• Temptation of the stars. Stories and letters. Selected by F. Israel. St. Benno, Leipzig 1984.
• And every sky looks too closed. Twenty-five poems for OS. Edited by Hans Weigel. Fountain of Youth, Vienna / Munich 1991
• Kreuzzertretung. Poetry, prose, letters. Edited by Kerstin Hensel. Reclam, Leipzig 1995.
• Beauty in the poppy dress. Narrative. Edited by Annette Steinsiek. Otto Müller, Salzburg / Vienna 1996.
• Heart on the go. The letters to Ingeborg Teuffenbach. Edited by Annette Steinsiek. Otto Müller, Salzburg / Vienna 1997.
• The Wechselbälgchen. Edited by Annette Steinsiek and Ursula A. Schneider. Otto Müller, Salzburg / Vienna 1998. re-edited and with an afterword by Klaus Amann: Wallenstein Verlag, Göttingen 2012, ISBN 978-3-8353-1147-3.