'First and foremost, create silence'

 

“The biggest achievement is to create silence. I think every real writer who has a passion to do justice to the world thinks this way.” – Peter Handke

 

Born in Austria in December of 1942, Handke is the 2019 Nobel Prize-winner in literature, recognized for the breadth of his work as a novelist, playwright, translator, poet, film director, and screenwriter.

He first broke onto the international writing scene with his 1960s award-winning play Offending the Audience and novel The Goalie's Anxiety at the Penalty Kick.   His play Wings of Desire and his semi-autobiographical novel A Sorrow Beyond Dreams also have earned rave reviews.  

 

 “An artist,” he said, “is only an exemplary person if you can see in his works how life goes.”