DISCUSSION WITH MATHIAS MEYER –LANGENHOFF 2 2 DECEMBER, 2013 COMENIUS PROJECT LITERATURE LIVE

TABLE OF CONTENTS Information about the Author Reasons to start writing Bibliography Novel Shortstory  Points of discussion

THE AUTHOR Name:Mathias Meyer-Langenhoff (MML) Date of birth:11th July, 1958 Place of birth:Dingden, Northrhine-Westphalia Education:- studied in Bonn / Münster - graduated in pedagogy / psychology Job:Teacher at a vocational school Family:married / two daughters Place:Nordhorn Miscellaneous:He is a member of the city council

REASONS TO START WRITING When his daughter was a little child she loved to listen to his fictional stories about the Dutch island of Ameland One day he began writing all these stories down That is how the text “The Witch of Ameland” arose MML writes to compensate the duties of his job He is not interested in earning money For him writing is the same like doing sport for others

BIBLIOGRAPHY He has written several stories for children  among others some Christmas stories like “Jan, Grandpa and The Holy Family” “The Witch of Ameland” (2007)  his first book  a story about a holiday adventure on Ameland for children eight years and older “Threat for Castle Bentheim”  a children’s story about the medieval age and the big castle in our region “Hagemann’s World”  his first book for everybody

NOVEL „Hagemanns Welt“ (Hagemann‘s World) Überleben im Land der pubertierenden Töchter (How to survive in a land of adolescing daughters) The main question is: how to bring up your children the right way? The author does not give an answer, but thinks that respect, authenticity and trust are most important His three daughters seem to be a mystery to him in all aspects of daily life The novel is a humorous depiction of these problems and it is also auto-biografic though fictional

SHORT STORY: „ELTERNBESUCH“ It is about a young man, who visits his father in a hospital His father is about to die from cancer His mother is crying He is remembering his childhood and his relationshiop to his father He hated him, because he beat his mother and was always drunk While he is visiting him he realizes that he still has some emotions for him but not all bad He is staying with his mother by his bed and promises to come back next day The next day his father is dead and he mournes for him

POINTS OF DISCUSSION The common and partly vulgar language How long he needs for one book needThe biographical aspect of the short story and his experience How the family thinks about the writing and that they are supporting him How he is getting the ideas for his books  mostly from the family, friends He had worked as a care worker

END Thank you for your attention! Sara Gennat Gregor Hibelhaus Lennart Nyhuis Joachim Tholema Holger Jouppien