Origins & Early Life

Elfriede Jelinek (German: [ɛlˈfʁiːdə ˈjɛlinɛk]; born 20 October 1946) is an Austrian playwright and novelist. She is one of the most decorated authors to write in German and was awarded the 2004 Nobel Prize in Literature for her "musical flow of voices and counter-voices in novels and plays that, with extraordinary linguistic zeal, reveal the absurdity of society's clichés and their subjugating power". She is considered to be among the most important living playwrights of the German language. Elfriede Jelinek was born on 20 October 1946 in Mürzzuschlag, Styria, Austria, the daughter of Olga Ilona (née Buchner), a personnel director, and Friedrich Jelinek.

Pivotal Works & Achievements

She was raised in Vienna by her Romanian-German Catholic mother and a non-observant Czech Jewish father (whose surname Jelínek means "little deer" in Czech). Her mother's family was of a bourgeois background, while her father was a working-class socialist. Her father was a chemist, who managed to avoid persecution during the Second World War by working in strategically important industrial production. However, many of his relatives were murdered during the Holocaust. Her mother, with whom she had a strained relationship...

Enduring Legacy & Impact

The historical impact and works continue to influence the modern world.

Contemporary Figures & Related Historical Timelines

• Adam Michnik — Contemporary (Born in 1946) (1946): Prominent Polish intellectual, dissident, and journalist advocating for democracy.
• Al Green — Contemporary (Born in 1946) (1946): Iconic American soul singer, songwriter, and pastor celebrated for his timeless vocal artistry.
• André the Giant — Contemporary (Born in 1946) (1946): French wrestler and actor, famed for his colossal size and wrestling career.
• Alfred Gwynne Vanderbilt — Shared historical date (10-20 · Born) (1877): American sportsman and businessman, known for his involvement in pioneering endeavors.
• Andrey Kolmogorov — Shared historical date (10-20 · Died) (1987): Pioneering Soviet mathematician central to modern probability, topology, and information theory.
• Bill Clinton — Historical peer (Born in 1946) (1946): 42nd U.S. President, known for 'Clintonism' and transforming the Democratic Party.
• Biruté Galdikas — Historical peer (Born in 1946) (1946): Pioneering primatologist and conservationist, renowned for her work with orangutans.
• Christopher Reeve — Historical peer (Died in 2004) (2004): Esteemed actor and tireless advocate for disability rights.
• Daniel J. Boorstin — Historical peer (Died in 2004) (2004): Influential American historian, Librarian of Congress, and proponent of consensus history.
• Arthur Rimbaud — Shared historical date (10-20 · Born) (1854): Transgressive French poet whose work profoundly influenced modern literature and surrealism.
• 1946 Historical Timeline & Archive — Explore world events and figures from 1946
• October 20 (10-20) On This Day — Historical birthdays and events on October 20