Jelinek, Elfriede (1946– )

Austrian writer. Her novels, poetry, and plays explore the dark side of popular culture, coloured by violence and oppression. One of her main themes is the subjugation of women by modern stereotypes. Her novels include Die Liebhaberinnen/Women as Lovers (1975), Die Ausgesperrten/Wonderful, Wonderful Times (1980), and the autobiographical Die Klavierspielerin/The Piano Teacher (1983; filmed 2001). She won the 2004 Nobel Prize for Literature.

Her social criticisms are linguistically sophisticated, switching between poetry and prose, narrative and drama. Her plays often involve voices conveying conflicting viewpoints speaking all at once.

She studied music, theatre, and art history in Vienna. Her literary debut was the poetry collection Lisas Schatten/Lisa's Shadow (1967). She has also written several plays for radio and stage.