Oskar Pastior - ´The distinctive is good´. Components of a Biography

Oskar Pastior, one of the most important German-language poets of the twentieth century, was a figure who crossed boundaries in many ways. He belonged to the German ethnic minority in Romania, kept his homosexuality secret for many years, endured forced labour in the Soviet Union, later completed a degree in German Literature in Bucharest, worked as an editor at the Romanian state broadcaster, escaped to West Germany via Austria, and was an informer for the Securitate. The question is posed as to what influence these turning points in his biography had on Pastior`s work, its reception, and public perceptions of him as a figure. These junctures in his life are components not only of the biography of a German-language poet from Romania, but also the lines of conflict along which the self-perceptions of Germany, Austria, and Romania can in part be redefined. Numerous publications already exist on Pastior`s experimental poetry. As yet there has been no systematic engagement with his biography, placing the central ruptures in his life in historical context or discussing how these are reflected in his literary work. An academic analysis of the most significant aspects of Pastior`s biography, building on the pre-existing literature, is an urgent research priority. The proposed project will be the first comprehensive discussion of Oskar Pastior`s biography. With the aid of historical and social contextualization, the aim will be to write a systematically organized monograph on one of the major German-language poets of the twentieth century. A further goal is the analysis of the reception of the writer and his work in literature and in the media. Emphasis will be placed on the similarities and differences between his reception in the German-speaking world and in Romania. Of particular interest is Herta Müller`s Nobel Prize- winning novel Die Atemschaukel, which portrays Oskar Pastior`s imprisonment in a Soviet labour camp. The posthumous discovery of Oskar Pastior`s activities for the Securitate in October 2010 led to changes in the way the debate on victimhood and perpetration were discussed in German public discourse and to a rupture in academic and public perceptions of Pastior. Consequently, research on this topic and the change in Pastior`s reception will be a particular focus of the research project. The goal of the project is the creation of a reference work on Oskar Pastior and the first major interdisciplinary engagement with his life and work in a broad context, which will form a basis and starting point for future discussions and research projects.

This project has addressed central aspects in the life of the Romanian-German poet Oskar Pastior, for publication as a monograph. Research was conducted on previously unknown sources in Germany (e.g. Literaturarchiv Marbach), Austria (e.g. Österreichische Gesellschaft für Literatur) and Romania (e.g. CNSAS). These were collected, translated and evaluated. Interviews were also conducted with acquaintances and supporters of Pastior, offering instructive insights into Pastiors life. In this way, little-known phases of Oskar Pastiors life that were nevertheless significant for the reception of his life could be addressed using historical sources.The projects goal was to conduct a broad historiographical contextualization of these biographical aspects. The monograph focuses on the following phases and moments: childhood and youth in Hermannstadt; deportation to the Soviet Union; studies and early career in Bucharest; flight to the West; new beginnings in West Germany. A particular focus is placed on Pastiors early career in Bucharest, his collaboration with the Securitate, and the flight to West Germany in 1968, which is analysed in the context of the competition between the Eastern and Western systems during the Cold War. It has been possible to demonstrate that an international network of Austrian, West German and American cultural institutions acted in partnership, which not only benefited Pastior while he was still in Romania, but also made his journey to Vienna and to West Germany possible, indirectly granting him the opportunity to escape.The results of the project will be published as a monograph in 2017/18 by the publisher Praesens Verlag. The book will serve as a reference work on the life of the Romanian-German author, connecting previous research on Pastior with new biographical materials.