Copyright© Lillian Birnbaum
Born Dec 19, 1952, in Santa Monica, California as the son of Robert Jungk & Ruth Suschitzky.
Grew up in Vienna, West-Berlin and Salzburg...
In 1974 moved to Los Angeles and studied at UCLA and the American Film Institute (screenwriting);
The first book of prose, "Stechpalmenwald", a collection of short stories about Hollywood, was published in 1978...
1977: assisted Peter Handke during the making of his movie "The Lefthanded Woman", in Paris, France...
1980: in Jerusalem, studies at a Torah School. Wrote the novel "Rundgang"...
1981: moved back to Vienna...
1983 - 1987 wrote the biography of the writer Franz Werfel, published by S.Fischer in 1987, by Weidenfeld & Nicolson, London, in 1990, by Grove Press, New York, in 1990
1988 scripted and directed a television documentary about Werfel, ORF/ZDF-coproduction
1989 writing of the novel "Tigor", published 1991 by S.Fischer (translated by Michael Hofmann, published by Faber and Faber, London, in 2002, “The Snowflake Constant”, finalist for the Independent Foreign Fiction Prize. American edition October 2004, published by Handsel Books, New York)
1989 scripted and directed a television documentary about the writer Leo Perutz, ORF/ ZDF coproduction
1990 scripted the documentary film „The Pied Piper of Hamelin“ with Hanna Schygulla
1991 adapted Robert Musil’s novella „Grigia" for the screen (Arthur Cohn producer)
1992 adaptation of the novel „The Beautiful Mrs. Seidenman”, by Andrzej Szczypiorski for the producer Arthur Cohn
1992 scripted and directed the television documentary „Dark Light", ORF/ZDF, about the blind photographer und writer Eugen Bavcar
1993 -1996 worked on the novel “Die Unruhe der Stella Federspiel”, published by List Verlag, Munich, in 1996
1994 birth of our daughter Adah Dylan
1996/97 worked on a screen adaptation of Guy de Maupassant’s "Bel Ami", with the theatre and film director Luc Bondy
1998/99 wrote the novel "Die Erbschaft", published in 1999, by List Verlag
2000/2001 wrote the novel “Der König von Amerika”, about Walt Disney, published by Klett Cotta Verlag, in 2001 (American edition Spring 2004, published by Handsel Books, New York, translated by Michael Hofmann)
2003 started writing „Die Brücke über den Hudson“ (“Crossing the Hudson”),
2003 Writer-in-Residence at Oberlin College, Ohio
2004 translation and script doctor on the screenplay “The Last Train”, for Artur Brauner, director: Armin Mueller-Stahl; adaption of the novel “Oblomov” by Ivan Gontsharov for the Zurich Schauspielhaus; “Die Reise über den Hudson” published in September 2005
2005 "Oblomov" by Ivan Gontscharov performed in Zurich, April through July
2005/06 Documentary film with Lillian Birnbaum on Sir André Previn for German & Austrian television 'André Previn - A BRIDGE BETWEEN TWO WORLDS'; DVD can be found on Amazon.
2006 began research and work on “Edith Tudor-Hart”
2007/09 work on the novel 'The Electric Heart', published by Zsolnay Verlag, Vienna, in February 2011
2010 Co-writing with Wolfgang Petritsch of a biography on Bruno Kreiisky, published in October 2010
2011 Visiting professor at Washington University, St.Louis, teaching Contemporary German Literature
2012 Work on a documentary film on Edith Tudor-Hart. / Visiting Professor at Universität Salzburg, Austria, teaching a course on biographical and autobiographical writing, and a course on adapting literary texts for screenplays. Working on a new translation of 'Tartuffe' by Molière, into German - with theatre director Luc Bondy. It was staged during the Vienna Festival, Spring 2013, and remains in the repertoire of the Vienna Burgtheater/Akademietheater.
2013 Work on the biography of Edith Tudor-Hart
2014 Lectures and readings in Tokyo and Hiroshima. Work on the biography of Edith Tudor-Hart.
2015 'Die Dunkelkammern der Edith Tudor-Hart', published by S. Fischer Verlag Frankfurt/Main. Work on the documentary 'Tracking Edith' commenced, see: www.trackingedith.com
2016 Editing the documentary 'Tracking Edith', world première at the Viennale in Vienna, October 2016
2017 'Tracking Edith' shown in cinemas in Austria, Germany, the UK, as well as at several Film Festivals in the USA
2018 Three months as 'Writer-in-Residence' at Oberlin College, Ohio / Work begins on a new book project, working title: 'Marché Aligre'
2019 Work on the memoir 'Marché Aligre' continues
2020 Work on the memoir about marché d'Aligre continues, as well as work on monograph about the Austrian galerist, museum director and curator Peter Pakesch
2021 'Marktgeflüster - Eine verborgene Heimat in Paris' is published in late April by S. Fischer Verlag, Frankfurt. In June the book 'Warum ich beschloss Peter Pakesch zu mögen' is published by Müry Salzmann Verlag, Salzburg
2022: Writer in Residence for German-language literature and teaching screenwriting at Oberlin College, Ohio, spring semester. Work on a new novel project about paternal grandfather Max Jungk (a.k.a. David Baum). In the fall, the biography 'Die Rückseite der Bilder' ('The Backside of Paintings') about Wolfgang Georg Fischer, which I ghostwrote, is published by Verlag Müry Salzmann, Salzburg.
Contact: peterjungk@gmail.com