Dieter Moor: "Jumping jack in sactuary"

For the first time Dieter Moor presented the Bachmann Prize in Klagenfurt. On the one side he admires the event as a "cult", on the other side he has the feeling that he was a jumping jack and violated a sanctuary."

For the first time Dieter Moor presented the Bachmann Prize in Klagenfurt. On the one side he admires the event as a "cult", on the other side he has the feeling that he was a jumping jack and violated a sanctuary."

"I’m a superficial TV bloke"

"You can discuss matters seriously even if no state celebrity is taking place around you. After the opening evening there was indeed a bit of commotion, simply because I did not do it the state-celebrity way, but rather casually, as I am used to doing it as a superficial, stupid bloke, as a TV bloke.

This somewhat surprised me, because if the jury, which - after the authors - is the most important institution tells me that this is not the way to go about it, I thought ‘Now we have the problem, the jumping jack has violated a sanctuary in which he does not belong’. I felt extremely out of place."

Presenter Dieter Moor in a caricature by the Carinthian graphic artist Wilfried Steurer.

Exhilarating, rewarding experience

The audience, however, though the show was livelier than it used to be. Moor, "Normally I would have been pleased, but now I’m unsure whether it has harmed or helped the Bachmann Prize." 

He is a literary amateur, Moor emphasized in an ORF interview. “I’m more like the audience in this respect and wonder about the different views those people have who are dealing with the texts and what you have to consider when you are dealing with the text or rather about how you are going to formulate your thoughts once you have made up your mind about the text. This was indeed awesome. That was an exhilarating, rewarding experience; that was superb, I really enjoyed it." 

To celebrate the occasion in the Carinthian ORF studio, Dieter Moor received an autographed original of his caricature.

Culture can genuinely be enjoyed

Really, the Bachmann Prize violates all TV rules and is considered by many as anachronistic. Critics, the audience, publishers, experts and others listen to the readings and jury discussions for days.
 

Moor, "That’s why I like it so much.

The fact that it’s anachronistic is something good. You could turn this - another forbidden word, I hope the jury is not listening - you could turn this into a "cult". As a viewer that would be the only program I would be watching. On the one side you have something that violates all TV rules, on the side, however, it works because it's active. I would love to prove that seriousness does not necessarily mean that we have graveyard atmosphere, but that discussing matters seriously can be enjoyed, similar to eating and making love. Art can also be fun."

Dieter Moor and Ursula März during a jury discussion

Da capo? First of all let things slump to the ground…

Asked whether he would present the show again next year Moor replied,  "That’s a difficult question, because if you have a wife who has just given birth to a child and ask her whether she would like another one she will shout ‘No, that’s enough now, never again"’ But once half a year has passed she will say, "What do you think Darling, shall we have another one?”. I must first of all let things slump to the ground. This was an attempt to bring two things together that do not go together - this presenter and this event. We shall see."

 Presenter Dieter Moor

 Caricaturist Wilfried Steurer