Richard Georg (Ror) Wolf was born in
Saalfeld,
Thuringia. He grew up without his father, who was drafted into the army when the boy was six and only returned ten years later. The child enjoyed his father's library, reading the books of
Wilhelm Busch at an early age. Following World War II, the new government socialized the family's shoe shop, and his mother was imprisoned for one year. After his
Abitur in 1951, he applied for a place to study at university but was not successful. He worked for two years in construction. After his application to university was rejected again, Wolf left the
German Democratic Republic in July 1953 to live in West Germany. He first stayed in
Stuttgart, making a living as an unskilled laborer. Later he studied literature, sociology and philosophy at the
University of Frankfurt, with
Theodor W. Adorno,
Walter Höllerer and
Max Horkheimer. Wolf soon published prose, poetry, reviews of literature, theatre and jazz as well as artistic collages in the student magazine
Diskus. His name as an artist ("Ror") combines letters from his given names. His pseudonym ("Tranchirer") is his first name, Richard, spelled backward and turned into "Tranchirer," someone who "carves up [meat]." Cutting would become an important technique both in Wolf's literary and visual work. Wolf continued his studies at the
University of Hamburg in 1958, and graduated from the University of Frankfurt in 1961. Wolf worked as
contributing editor of literature for the
Hessischer Rundfunk, a public radio station, for two years. After 1963 he became a freelance writer and artist. His first novel,
Fortsetzung des Berichts, was published by
Suhrkamp in 1964. It shows influences of
Franz Kafka, Samuel Beckett and Peter Weiss. His first radio play was broadcast in 1971. His radio collages often focus on soccer and keep being aired. The play
Leben und Tod des Kornettisten Bix Beiderbecke aus Nord-Amerika, about the life and death of jazz cornetist
Bix Beiderbecke, was awarded the prestigious
Hörspielpreis der Kriegsblinden in 1988. The 2007 audio play
Raoul Tranchirers Bemerkungen über die Stille -- ''R T's Comments on Silence'' received the award "Radio Play of the Year" from the German Academy of Performing Arts. Wolf settled in
Mainz where he lived for 30 years. He died there on 17 February 2020. == Works ==