» Guest Author Spotlight

Michael LentzMICHAEL LENTZ


March 2014

Michael Lentz (1964, Düren, Germany) – poet, researcher, lingua-artist, musician, editor. He took courses in German studies, History and Philosophy at the Universities of Aachen, Munich and Siegen. He is the author of a number of books of prose and poetry, including such as Neue Anagramme (1998), Oder. Prosa (1998), Ende gut. Sprechakte (2001) (with CD), Wien: edition selene; Muttersterben. Prosa (2002) (Book and CD), Aller Ding. Gedichte (2003), Liebeserklärung. Roman (2003) (Book and CD), Pazifik. Exil. Roman (2007) (Book and CD), Offene Unruh. 100 Liebesgedichte(2010), Textleben. Essays (2010), Atmen Ordnung Abgrund. Frankfurter Poetikvorlesungen (2013), Frankfurt am: S. Fischer Verlag.

He is the author of numerous articles on the issues of theory and history of sound poetry, of thematic programs on the radio, publications in magazines, catalogues and anthologies.

Since 1996 he conducted a number of curator projects, SOUNDBOX. Akustische Kunst“ (Salzburg, München, Berlin), in which representatives of various schools of sound poetry of the world participated. Lentz repeatedly participated in various festivals, readings and concerts in Europe, the USA and Asia. Since 1989 he has been performing as a member of Josef Anton Riedl’s ensemble – a group, tackling a wide range of experimental music, multimedia compositions, audio-visual environments, etc., and that is widely known outside Germany. He is cofounder of the bands Sprechakte X-trem and fünfleute.

Lentz is a recipient of various literary rewards and prizes, including the 1. Preis Individual Competition National Poetry Slam (1998),Literaturförderungspreis des Freistaates Bayern (1999), Ingeborg-Bachmann-Preis (2001), Hans-Erich-Nossack-Förderpreis des BDI(2002), Preis der Literaturhäuser (2005), Walter-Hasenclever-Preis (2012), he is also a holder of a number of grants and scholarships (Berlin, Olevano Romano, Los Angeles). In 2013 he lectured the prestigious Frankfurter Poetikvorlesungen. Lentz was the president of the Freie Akademie der Künste zu Leipzig. He is professor at Deutsches Literaturinstitut Leipzig of the University of Leipzig. He is living and working in Berlin and Leipzig.