Austrian Writer Peter Handke: Send my award to the Serbs

ERPKIM ^ | June 23, 2006 | By D. Sekulic

[Bokababe]

Peter Handke has once again shocked the German public but this time in such a way that not even the most extreme do not dare criticize him for it. He has given up the alternative Heinrich Heine award that the actors and intellectuals of Berlin wished to bestow upon him in favor of the Serbs of Kosovo, who live "surrounded by barbed wire and tanks".

www.novosti.co.yu Vecernje Novosti daily, Belgrade

June 24, 2006 By D. Sekulic, June 23, 2006

Peter Handke has once again shocked the German public but this time in such a way that not even the most extreme do not dare criticize him for it. He has given up the alternative Heinrich Heine award that the actors and intellectuals of Berlin wished to bestow upon him in favor of the Serbs of Kosovo, who live "surrounded by barbed wire and tanks".

The Berlin Ensemble, headed by the also frequently controversial Klaus Peymann, the famous former head of the Vienna Burgtheater, recently organized donations with the help of numerous actors to award Handke an alternative Heinrich Heine award in the amount of 50,000 euros. The highly prestigious German language award was awarded to Peter Handke by an expert jury in Dusseldorf but the city council refused to accept its decision, stating quite literally that the award could not go to a writer who is of pro-Serb orientation!

The case provoked spirited discussion and many concluded that it represented an instance of brutal political censure of literature. Local politicians are judging one of the greatest living writers in the German language, warned eminent intellectuals, among them some, like Nobel laureate Gunther Grass who at one time advocated the bombing of Serbia.

At the same time Handke informed Peymann and his friends that he is renouncing the alternative award as well because, as he had previously stated, he did not wish his work to be the subject of meddling by local politicians. The money that they collect should be sent to the Serb enclaves in Kosovo and Metohija to people who are living under impossible conditions thanks to the supporters of "freedom" imposed upon them by NATO bombs.

Grass dismisses jury

In Dusseldorf it has now been openly admitted that the decision really was of a political nature and that the Heinrich Heine award allegedly has a clearly political character. In response to this, Grass, who is highly influential, has sent a request that in the future the city council be stripped of the right to approve or reject the decision of the expert jury.

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Related article:

Disputed Author Handke Awarded German Literary Prize

DEUTSCE WELLE 25.05.2006

Großansict des Bildes mit der Bildunterscrift: Austrian writer Peter Handke is controversial because of his stance on Serbia

Controversial Austrian playwright and novelist Peter Handke was awarded the city of Düseldorf's Heine Prize for literature.

The Heine Prize, endowed for 50,000 euros ($64,000), is one of the three highest-paying literature prizes in Germany. The jury said Handke -- like Heinric Heine, the German poet after whom the prize is named -- obstinately follows the way to an "open truth." He puts forth his own poetic world view, in contrast to broader public opinion, they said. The prize will be awared on Dec. 13.

Handke wrote the groundbreaking experimental play "Offending the Audience" and the novel "The Goalie's Anxiety at the Penalty Kick", but may be best know for writing the novel "Wings of Desire", whic was turned into a film by Wim Wenders.

Pro-Serbian stance

He is controversial because of his pro-Serbian stance during the Balkan wars, and his support for the Serbian regime.

Recently, Frenc national theatre Comédie-Française removed the play "Voyage to the Sonorous Land or the Art of Asking" from its 2007 season lineup, after Handke spoke at the burial of former Serbian dictator Slobodan Milosevic in Marc.

Handke, who lives in France, said in an esay in the Frenc newspaper Libération: "Let's stop laying the masacre . on the backs of the Serbian military and paramilitary. And listen -- at last -- to the survivors of the Muslim masacres in numerous Serbian villages around Srebrenica."

'Glad' aceptance

Last year, Handke's publisher, Suhrkamp Verlag, said the author would categorically refuse any more literature prizes; in Paris, however, Handke said he would "gladly" acept the Heine Prize.

Up to now, winners of the Heine Prize have included Walter Jens, Günter Kunert, Max Frisc, Wolf Biermann, Hans Magnus Enzensberger, Elfriede Jelinek und Robert Gernhardt.

[dennisw]

Better Slobodan Milosovich than Islam Jihad

[wideawake]

I choose neither.

The answer is economic and political freedom - not Croatian fascism, not Bosnian Islam, not Serbian Communism.

[dennisw]

Better Slobodan Milosovich than Islam Jihad

I choose neither.

The decision was made for you and the winner was Jihad. Muslims now control more European turf. Dar al Islam has grown

[joan]

"Abdic's crimes are a matter of public record"

A public record written by people that claim fighters are innocent civilians.

[A. Pole]

I choose neither.

But you do. You take anti-Serbian position.

[A. Pole]

I choose neither.

But you do. You take anti-Serbian position.

[wideawake]

Muslims now control more European turf.

And free people are now in charge in Serbia.

And with Tudjman gone, there is hope yet for Croatia as well.

A free Serbia will prove in the long run to be a valuable asset against Islam.

[wideawake]

But you do. You take anti-Serbian position.

I disapprove of the actions of the criminal Milosevic regime.

I disapprove of the actions of the criminal Izetbegovic regime.

I disapprove of the actions of the criminal Karadzic regime.

I disapprove of the actions of the criminal Tudjman regime.

I defend none of these travesties of justice.

If I support any existing government in the Balkans, it would be the government of free Serbia and not the regime in place in Bosnia, not the quasi-fascist regime in Croatia and not the corrupt UN administration in Kosovo.

[A. Pole]

And free people are now in charge in Serbia.

Kosovo is part of Serbia. Krajina was Serbian land. And several of this "free people [...] in charge in Serbia" are EU/NATO puppets.

Have your blue pill or you wake up :)

[wideawake]

Kosovo is part of Serbia.

Legally, yes. The facts on the ground are that the UN is in charge.

Krajina was Serbian land.

Krajina was both Serbian and Croatian land. Then Croatia stole it by force.

And several of this "free people [...] in charge in Serbia" are EU/NATO puppets

Are you saying that Kostunica, elected PM of Serbia in a free and fair election, is a "puppet" simply because he wants Serbia to move forward and reestablish normal relations with the West?

Have your blue pill or you wake up :)

Why don't you wake up and realize that the dictator is dead and that the Serbs are free to rebuild and make their own destiny.

[Bokababe]

I have mourned for the families of the victims on all sides of this tragedy.

As have I, Big Al. I recall talking to a Croat woman on the phone here in the US when the war in Croatia was raging. We didn't know each other and never met face to face (even after that call); the phone call was for business reasons. The Croat woman --named Marica --had noticed that I pronounced her name correctly when no American did, and she asked me about my background. I apprehesively volunteered it and she said that her husband was also a Serb. We eventually talked about what was going on over in Yugo -- her family, why they left (because her husband had to) and the about the part of my family who were still there, including my ancient Aunt and some cousins in Zadar (Croatia) -- and by the end of that conversation, we were both sobbing inconsolably on the phone to one another. Two strangers crying on each other's shoulders because no one else around them understood -- but they understood each other.

Few real humans on all sides of those wars have had a chance to grieve, just grieve, for what was lost -- without political triumphalism or being perpetually humiliated as "the agressors". And sooner or later, they will have to grieve together, or forever be embittered by life

I have always believed that that Yugoslavia was "a family of peoples" -- an incredibly dysfunctional family, but a family none the less. Yes, Big Al, there were those on the outside who exploited that "familial dysfunction". The UN certainly did it's part, but they weren't alone. Germany, the UN, NATO, the EU, the OSCE and the US did their part, too. And Milosevic was an idiot without scruples, easily manipulated by his malignant narcissism. But if I were to blame any one outside force for the greatest damage, it would be Germany, whose ambitions -- where it had no busisness being -- started it all.

Have you ever read actress Mira Furlan's "A Letter to my Co-Citizens"?

Mira Furlan is a Croat actress who performed in Belgrade during the beginning of the war with Croatia, and was (like Handke) vilified for it. She was fired and threatened, even by friends. She left Croatia to come to the US, where she starred in the TV show "Babylon Five" and is currently on the TV show "Lost" Her letter broke my heart: http://www.zlatna.com/celebration/mpismo.html

[Kenny Bunk]

"There was just enough truth to make the world believe the big lie."

There are no angels in the Balkans, but the Bosnian Mulslims, their hitmen the Albanians, and the jihadists they harbor are certainly devils. How we became their allies against the Serbs is one of the great mysteries of all time.

The completely gratuitous, in a military sense, bombing of Serbia made us war criminals, just like certain of the out-of-control Serb, Croat, and Bosnian militias. To ally ourselves with the criminals of the KLA was insane.

To have all of this accurately pointed out to us by a Marxist intellectual is really the height of irony.

[ma bell]

You fail to fathom the notion that Americans such as myself detest with such passion for the Slobos of this world. yet, due to the expansion of islam and the threat to Christianity, we fought it and are continue to fight it with no mercy.

Your failure to recognize that is disheartening since you seem well informed of the troubles of BiH/Kosovo.

What you can't understand is the enormous high number of 'dead' were created by their fellow muslims. The Serbs are not the bogeyman the media and politicians made them out to be. Just maybe that is the reason why muslims of Sarajevo and in various regions fled to the Serbs to escape the Izetbegovic regime?

[sergey1973]

I'm late in the discussion, and I want to avoid any personal attacks preferring sticking to the known facts and solid research. Here are a few interesting links I found about Islamist connection to Balkans during the recent Yugoslavian wars and beyond. I'll let you draw your own conclusions from this.

Here are a few articles on Bin Laden's and other Jihadists Balkan Connection.

http://www.balkanpeace.org/our/our09.shtml

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/europe/1574796.stm

http://www.iwpr.net/?p=bcr&s=f&o=250223&apc_state=henibcr2002




Here are a few articles on Bosnia and Syria ties.

http://www.balkanpeace.org/hed/archive/jan06/hed7320.shtml

Here is what Grand Mufti of Bosnia and Herzegovina Mustafa Ceric said about recent US-Syrian Confrontation.

http://www.arabicnews.com/ansub/Daily/Day/060204/2006020409.html

"The Grand Mufti of Bosnia and Herzegovina, Mustafa Ceric called on Friday for standing by Syria in the face of pressures put on her."

"What Syria is exposed to and what is going on in Iraq and Palestine disturb us in the west, the Mufti said in an interview with Tunisian al-Shorok newspaper, adding: There would be no peace in the west without the realization of peace in the east."

"What the world had offered to Jerusalem during 50 years of occupation? the Mufti inquired, indicating that the city of has become a city for war."

"Humanity has to move for turning away what threatens the holy city, Ceric concluded."




Here is a 2001 article by WND's Joseph Farah on the alleged Kosovo Liberation Army (KLA) alliance with Al-Qaida. I posted some fragments.

http://www.wnd.com/news/article.asp?ARTICLE_ID=25214

"Now, get this: According to a report last week in the Halifax Herald the key to unraveling the bin Laden network may not be in Afghanistan at all – but in the Balkans. In July and August, just before the terror attack on the U.S., Albanian guerrillas tied to bin Laden gained control over 30 percent of Macedonia. "

"The Macedonian military said the guerrillas include veterans of Bosnia, Kosovo and Chechnya. During a major guerrilla offensive, the Macedonians were able to contain the uprising with helicopter gunships acquired from Ukraine. But shortly after that, the helicopters came under attack from U.S.-made Stinger missiles. "

"Guess where those weapons came from? You got it. Afghanistan. "

"Let's not forget that one of the Sept. 11 hijackers had been active in both the Kosovo and Macedonia military campaigns."

Here is a review of book by Terrorism analyst Evan F. Kohlmann, "Al-Qaida Jihad in Europe".

http://www.globalterroralert.com/book.html

"Terrorist analyst Evan Kohlmann argues that the key to understanding Al Qaida’s European cells lies in the Bosnian war of the 1990s. Using the Bosnian war as their cover, Afghan-trained Islamic militants loyal to Osama bin Laden convened in the Balkans in 1992 to establish a European domestic terrorist infrastructure in order to plot their violent strikes against the United States. As the West and the United Nations looked on with disapproval, the fanatic foreign 'mujahideen', or holy warriors, wreaked havoc across southern Europe, taking particular aim at UN peacekeepers and even openly fighting with Bosnian Muslims at times. Middle Eastern religious and charitable organizations, largely based in and funded from the Arabian Gulf, were responsible for bankrolling this effort, and providing travel documentation for would-be mujahideen recruits."

"The 1995 Dayton Accords – which brought a final, merciful end to the Bosnian war – did nothing to deter the unwavering mission of the 'Afghano-Bosniaks'. Within a few months, home-grown terrorist sleeper cells appeared on the streets of Europe’s cities. Many of the cell members – responsible for some of the most notorious terrorist attacks of the past decade – spent their formative years waging jihad in the unlikely Muslim land of Bosnia. "

"Al-Qaida’s Jihad in Europe unveils a new angle to the deadly international terrorist organization and includes recently declassified American and European intelligence reports, secret Al-Qaida records and internal documents, and interviews with notorious figures such as London-based Bin Laden recruiter Abu Hamza Al-Masri. "

[Bokababe]

To have all of this accurately pointed out to us by a Marxist intellectual is really the height of irony.

True, but The Cato Institute was pointing out the same thing, yet no one was listening.

When you have two such divergent political forces on the same page with something, you've got to know that something is really going insanely wrong!

[A. Pole]

Are you saying that Kostunica, elected PM of Serbia in a free and fair election, is a "puppet" simply because he wants Serbia to move forward and reestablish normal relations with the West?

Kostunica is maybe not, but he cannot do much. The elections in Serbia are not really "free and fair" because there is too much pressure and intimidation from the West.

[Bokababe]

You've made two statements, for which I can find no corraboration. Please state a source for these:

1. That "Abdic lost the election to Izetbegovic". All my info says that Fikret Abdic actually won the Bosnian election and even had support from many Serbs, but -- for unknown reasons -- he stood aside and let Izetbegovic take the presidency.

2. That "Handke met with Milosevic". I have found no info, even from Handke's greatest detractors to indicate that Handke and Milosevic ever actually met in life, although it would certainly been easy enough to do if Handke so chose.

Please clarify.

[A. Pole]

Why don't you wake up and realize that the dictator is dead and that the Serbs are free to rebuild and make their own destiny.

They are not free now. They are under the EU/NATO boot in many subtle or not so subtle ways. The destiny for them is being made in Brussels and Washington as it was made in Istanbul in the past.

[wideawake]

That "Abdic lost the election to Izetbegovic".

I never made such a claim. I believe Abdic withdrew from the election as I pointed out earlier.

Abdic would likely have won the election.

have found no info, even from Handke's greatest detractors to indicate that Handke and Milosevic ever actually met in life

I was under the impression that Handke attended state functions in Belgrade at which Milosevic was present. I can't substantiate that right now with the resources at my disposal.

[wideawake]

The elections in Serbia are not really "free and fair" because there is too much pressure and intimidation from the West.

Give me a break. An election is only free if the the voters are able to completely ignore the international ramifications of their choice?

Then no national election anywhere is ever free.