Rolf Dieter Brinkmann

The "BILD" newspaper considered him newsworthy. The 35-year-old poet Rolf Dieter Brinkmann ("The Embrace") was struck by a car in London. He died. Shortly thereafter, his voluminous poetry collection "Westwärts 1 & 2" was published, which was meant to herald Brinkmann's comeback. Those familiar with the lyrical scene regarded him as an insider tip, and literary institutions saw him as a worthy author to support, but his texts were no longer recognized by the general public. The brief, loud feedback at the end of the sixties had almost been forgotten when he rose to become the mastermind of German pop literature, dismissing the bourgeois cultural establishment and causing a stir with his unpredictable outbursts of anger. After his death, the legend-building could begin, and Brinkmann could rise as the poet rebel who was simply "too much" for this world. Frank Schäfer explores the turmoil of this short, fast life with a collection of critical essays, literary sketches, and biographical approaches.