I can't find a proper press release, but it appears that the Rinke Foundation has started up an annual diary project, TAGEWERK, to be written by authors with their finger on the linguistic pulse of the moment. The current diarist is Benjamin Stuckrad-Barre (not my favourite author), and you can read a transcript of a radio interview on the subject with him here. He talks about the chronicler Walter Kempowski, whom he greatly admires, and the way he influenced him to write diaries people will actually want to read. But don't hold your breath on this one, as he says it's unlikely that the diary will be ready for publication before 2011.
Next year is Clemens Meyer's turn. Apparently, he's a "master of authentic language" - whatever that may be - and thus an ideal candidate for the project. You can watch a little video of an award ceremony where they praise the non-fiction book Wohin mit Vater? - this year's Rinke Prizewinner - and Meyer gives a little taste of what's to come. Playing the boyish charm for all it's worth, he promises the 2009 diary will be "really where the action is": "There's a lot going on in my life, and there's a lot going on in the world. All I have to do now is write it down well."
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