Rainald Goetz

Rainald Maria Goetz (born 1954) is a German author, playwright and essayist.

Biography

After studying History and Medicine in Munich and earning a degree (PhD and M.D) in each, he soon concentrated on his writing.

With his first works, especially his novel "Irre" ("Crazy" or "Mad"), published in 1983, he became a cult author for the intellectual left. To the delight of his fans and the dismay of some critics he mixed neo-expressionist writing with social realism in the vein of Alfred Döblin and the fast pace of British pop writers like Julie Burchill. During a televised literary tournament in 1983, Goetz slit his own forehead with a razor blade and let the blood run down his face until he finished reading.

Goetz made his name as an enthusiastic observer of media and pop culture. He embraced avant-garde philosophers like Foucault and Luhmann as well as the DJs of the techno movement, especially Sven Väth.

He kept a written a daily diary, or blog, on the web in 1998–99 called Abfall für alle ("trash for everybody"), which eventually was published as a book.

Goetz won numerous literary awards.

Awards and honors

• 1983 Kranichsteiner Literaturpreis
• 1988 Mülheimer Dramatikerpreis
• 1991 Heinrich-Böll-Preis
• 1993 Mülheimer Dramatikerpreis
• 1999 Else-Lasker-Schüler-Dramatikerpreis
• 2000 Wilhelm Raabe Literature Prize
• 2000 Mülheimer Dramatikerpreis
• 2012 Berliner Literaturpreis
• 2013 Schiller-Gedächtnispreis
• 2013 Marieluise-Fleißer-Preis
• 2015 Georg Büchner Prize

• "Rainald Goetz: Top German literature prize goes to edgy ex-doctor". Deutsche Welle. 8 July 2015. Retrieved 9 July 2015. 

Selected works

• Irre (1983) – the novel which made him famous.
• Krieg / "War" (1986) – three plays
• Kontrolliert / "Controlled" (1988)
• Festung (1993) plays
• 1989 (1993) – a collage of media etc. from the years 1989 / 1990 German Reunification
• Rave (1998)
• Jeff Koons (1998)
• Abfall für alle (1999)
• Klage (2008)
• Johann Holtrop (2012)