Ernst Jandl

Ernst Jandl (1925–2000) was an Austrian poet and writer. After studying German and English, he worked for several decades as a secondary-school teacher in Vienna. From the 1950s onward, he published mainly experimental poetry, including the collections “Laut und Luise” and “stanzen” and the language pieces “ottos mops” and “fünfter sein.” Jandl also explored language and voice in public performances, often accompanied by jazz musicians. With Friederike Mayröcker, whom he had known since the 1950s, he co-wrote the radio play “Fünf Mann Menschen,” which received the War Blinded Audio Play Prize in 1968. Among his other honors were the Grand Austrian State Prize and the Georg Büchner Prize.