Language prize for comedian Dieter Nuhr
The cabaret artist and comedian Dieter Nuhr has received the 2014 Jacob Grimm German Language Prize.
Dieter Nuhr once admitted he went to university to train as a teacher, but soon realised that audiences are more motivated if they are there voluntarily. That’s why he decided not to work as a teacher. Today Dieter Nuhr is probably the most successful cabaret artist and comedian in Germany. His shows are sold out, his numerous TV programmes achieve high viewing figures and his books, DVDs and CDs are bestsellers. And he has almost 450,000 followers on Twitter.
What is the secret of his success? Dieter Nuhr is regarded as an intellectual, as a philosopher in his field. Where other cabaret artists or comedians become fast or loud, he stays cool, never really becoming spiteful or vicious. Sometimes in his shows it’s a little like being at school when the teacher calms a class down by speaking more and more quietly. Colleagues accuse him of having no point of view. But such accusations leave him cold. “They just tend to make me wonder about people who always have such a clear position.” It is precisely this attitude that enables him to reach such a broad public.
“Intelligent cabaret”
Dieter Nuhr, who was born in 1960 and grew up in the Rhineland, is the only person in Germany to have received the German Comedy Prize and the German Cabaret Prize. He has now won the 2014 Jacob Grimm German Language Prize. “Dieter Nuhr performs intelligent cabaret. His pieces are eloquent and his punchlines always on target. Nevertheless, he does not only carefully consider the linguistic quality of what he says, he also draws audiences into his language criticism and encourages them to think about the impact of language,” wrote the judges in their justification for the award.
Presentation of the Jacob Grimm German Language Prize on 18 October 2014
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