Menasse moves away from wrong quotes

Now, he gets but, the Carl-Zuckmayer-medal, an undoped, but the prestigious award of the German Federal state of Rhineland-Palatinate, which have received before him such as Martin Walser, Udo Lindenberg, Bruno, in Whole or in Joachim Meyerhoff. It is him at 18. January presented.

This would only be a short message, if not, the ceremony had previously stood on the Brink. A national politician of the CDU and the AfD had demanded to refuse Robert Menasse the medal. With the use of false quotes have disqualified the writer. In fact, Menasse had pushed in his novel "The capital" (German book prize in 2017), and in essays, Speeches, and Interviews, the former Commission President, Walter hallstein (1901-1982) statements to the effect that the abolition of the nation-States, the Ideal of Europe is realized. In addition, he had claimed, Hallstein had held his inaugural speech in 1958 in Auschwitz. On accusations that he handled with false quotations, and attributions, had Menasse responding for a long time defiant: As a Poet he could process free, decisive is the meaning that it is not the Literalness.

times are changing

Now Menasse back row. After discussions with the Rhineland-Palatinate Minister-President Malu Dreyer, and the Chairman of the price Commission, he moves away from his previous attitude. In a joint statement, the conversation partners are committed "to separate the certainties from assumptions, facts from opinions". It was for "the Success of a democratic debate". It was "a mistake, hall stone quotes attributed to that he has literally not said", and "relying on hearsay", its commencement and to locate speech in Auschwitz, said Menasse. In the novel the voices, but in Europe the political debate, is not permitted. There is a difference between the artistic freedom of a writer in the fictional creation and his "responsibility, if he were placed in the political discourse".

The insight has to do with the realization that the political climate has changed. The result is that intellectuals have to pay attention to their words. Menasse: "The game of facts and fictions to sharpen and polarize – that was a long time in public discourse, a role of the poet. It was to trigger a productive method of discussion, pragmatists and so-called realists." But today, in times "of incitement and deliberate fakes", needed to be clearly between facts and fiction, between political discourse and artistic freedom differences. (Tages-Anzeiger)

Created: 08.01.2019, 11:52 PM