From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Janko Ferk (born December 11, 1958) is an Austrian judge, author and translator.

Biography

Janko Ferk was born to Slovene parents in Unterburg am Klopeiner See, Kärnten/Carinthia. He studied law in Vienna and works as a judge in Klagenfurt am Wörthersee.

He has published more than twenty books and also writes legal debates. He has won numerous literary awards, including the Liechtenstein P.E.N. Centre Literary Award in 2002, and the Translation Award of the Austrian Bundeskanzleramt in 2005 and 2006.

He also holds the position of Professor at the Austrian University of Klagenfurt.

Publications

English

Janko Ferk has published poetry titled "Buried in the Sands of Time". It was translated by Herbert Kuhner (Riverside: Ariadne Press) in 1989. A novel, "The Condemned Judge", was also published in 1993 (Riverside:Ariande Press) and translated by Lowell A. Bangerter.

In "The Condemned Judge", the writing employs abrupt and naturalistic language to characterize individuals, describe scenes, and present sequences of events that form the components of his judicial system, his plea for a more caring and tolerant society, and his "execution" of those who arbitrarily pass judgement. The result is a disquenting novel that compels the reader to reassess the surrounding world and his or her position in it.

In "Buried in the Sands of Time", the poems of Janko Ferk deal less with ethnic problems than with descriptions of the human condition in general, particularly human mortality a spiritual possibilities. Through his writing, he explores in personal terms the transience of human beings.

German

Janko Ferk has published several works in the German language. The novel "Der verurteilte Kläger" (Vienna: Zsolnay) was published in 1981. Interviews with Peter Handke were published by Ferk in "Die Geographie des Menschen" (Vienna: Atelier) in 1993, and

Ferk has also published both prose and poetry, notably "Landnahme und Fluchtnahme" in 1997 and "Psalmen und Zyklen" (Vienna: Atelier, prose) and "Am Rand der Stille" (Vienna: Atelier), a work of poetry that was published in 1991. A monography by the name of "Recht ist ein "Prozeß". Über Kafkas Rechtsphilosophie" (Vienna: Atelier) was published in 1999 and 2006. Ferk published German essays in 2005 which were titled "Kafka und andere verdammt gute Schriftsteller" (Klagenfurt: Hermagoras). In 2008 he published the German prose which were titled "Brief an den Staatsanwalt. Eine forensische Novelle" (Vienna: Atelier).

Slovene

Janko Ferk also published literature in his native Slovene language. These works include poetry, such as "Napisi na zid zemlje" published in 1986, "Sedim ob robu deževne kaplje" in 1991, and "Psalmi in cikli" in 2001. Prose by the name of "Vsebina peščenih ur" was published in 1989.

Translations

Some of the writings of Janko Ferk were translated into other languages. His works have been published in Italy, Croatia and Slovenia. The most recent translations are "Psalmi i ciklusi" from 2006, "Natpisi na zid zemlje" and "Sadržaj pješčanih satova", both in 2007, which were both released in Zagreb.

Distribution

Publications by Janko Ferk have been distributed in numerous countries throughout the world, both as readings and in magazines. Readings have occurred in Australia, Austria, Bosnia and Herzegovina, the Czech Republic, France, Germany, Greece, Holland, Italy, Liechtenstein, Macedonia, Serbia, Slovenia, Spain, the United Kingdom, and the United States.

Magazine publication has also occurred with a wide distribution, with countries including Australia, Austria, Belgium, Bosnia, the Czech Republic, Croatia, France, Germany, Holland, India, Italy, Liechtenstein, Macedonia, Russia, Serbia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, the United Kingdom, and the United States.