VIENNA One of the most famous personalities in Austrian postwar literature, poet and dramatist H.C. Artmann, died of heart failure at his Vienna home Monday aged 79, it was announced Tuesday.
Artmann received countless literary prizes including the major award "Grosser Oesterreichischer Staatspreis" in 1974.
His early texts were lyrical, and he soon became a glittering figure. He and other writers formed the "Vienna Group" in 1952, whose readings caused a stir far beyond literary circles.
He quickly gained a reputation as a rebellious young man, and with his friends introduced surrealistic literature to Austria.
Universal recognition came in 1958 when he published a volume of poetry in Viennese dialect entitled "Med Ana Shwoazzn Dintn" (with black ink).
Forgotten were his earlier works in "High German." What had only been intended as an experiment brought Artmann a lasting name as the people's voice in his home city.
H.C. Artmann was also a widely-published translator from Spanish, Danish, English, French, Dutch and Swedish, an activity he continued with up to his death.
His life's work was partly inspired by medieval ballads, baroque lyrics, and Spanish literature. But he also had a weakness for modern forms such as comics and horror stories, and it was he who translated "Asterix" into Viennese dialect.
(DPA)