First day of the commemorative stamp "Literature from Austria", Ernst Jandl

Ernst Jandl – master of language games

The Viennese poet and writer Ernst Jandl would have turned 100 this year, and Austrian Post is honouring him with a stamp from the "Literature from Austria" series.

Ernst Jandl was born in Vienna in 1925. After returning from captivity as a prisoner of war, he studied German and English and taught at a secondary school. He began writing poetry in his youth and intensified his literary activities while working as a teacher. Jandl, a master of language, found his life partner in the poet Friederike Mayröcker. Like her, he had contact with the "Vienna Group" around H. C. Artmann, which was involved in sound poetry, among other things. Jandl's own publications, such as "ottos mops" and “schtzngrmm”, played with the (non-)use of vowels, among other things, and caused a storm of indignation as "cultural provocation". In the 1970s, his influence in the domestic cultural scene grew, and he became a founding member of the Graz Authors' Assembly. As a recognised author, Ernst Jandl received numerous awards and, after his death in 2000, was given an honorary grave in Vienna's Central Cemetery.

Jandl dealt with political and social issues and, in addition to poems, also wrote two plays, radio plays and prose. Jandl himself recited his experimental poetry in the tradition of "concrete poetry" in rousing readings, skilfully showcasing his linguistic wit. "The revenge of language is the poem" reflects his playful approach to language.

The following text was formulated with the help of AI in the style of Ernst Jandl and translated into English:

stamp makes jandl

jandl makes language

language makes revenge

Post issues stamp

Series: literature from Austria

This time: Ernst Jandl.

he would be a hundred years old now

one hundred

When? 15.09.2025, 9:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m., presentation at 10:00 a.m.

Where? Federation of Austrian Philately Associations, Getreidemarkt 1, 1060 Vienna