Susanne Kerckhoff: A Biographical Essay

After she took her own life in 1950, she was forgotten in both East and West. Kerckhoff sought to understand the intellectual stance, because she saw it as the foundation of all action – both past and present.

It was from this perspective that she analysed the political conditions of her time and incorporated this analysis into her artistic work:

‘… that a poet, whether he finds the right words or not, whether he writes love poems or paints floral motifs, must not lose sight of the point at which he must take a stand. Otherwise, the love song and what he writes about flowers – or indeed everything he writes – is a lie. If people lose touch with political life, they will pay a terrible price for it later. And writers, in particular, must not lose this connection with political life.” – Susanne Kerckhoff

Through letters, conversations and contemporary documents, Susanne Linzer sets out in search of clues. The result is a portrait that recounts Kerckhoff’s life based on these sources. She presents her work in conversation with curator Heike Albrecht.

Susanne Linzer, born in East Berlin, is a freelance writer and director. She studied literature and history and has been developing cross-genre theatre productions under the Monstertheater label since 1998. Since 2001, she has been writing audio descriptions for television, cinema, film festivals and DVDs.

IN GERMAN