Peter Handke was born in Griffen, Austria, in 1942 and studied law at the University of Graz. In 1996 his first novel was published and his first play, Offending the Audience, was staged in Frankfurt. This was seen in London in 1971 and was followed by productions of My Foot My Tutor (1971), Self Accusation, Prophecy and Calling for Help ... Read more(1972), Kaspar and The Ride Across Lake Constance(1973), the latter transferring successfully to the West End, They are Dying Out (National Theatre, 1976 and The Long Way Round (National Theatre, 1989). His novels and other writings include The Goalie's Anxiety at the Penalty Kick (subsequently made into an award-winning film), Short Letter, Long Farewelland the semi-autobiographical A Sorrow Beyond Dreams, which were published in Britain in 1977; The Left-Handed Woman (1980), a novel drawn from this his film of the same title, which he directed himself; the trilogy of thematically connected novels, Slow Homecoming (1985); his novel Across (1986); Repetition (1988); Afternoon of a Writer (1989); and Absence (1990). Show Less