Each week in conjunction with Autism Care UK, who
specialise in autism support services and autism treatment, we have been
celebrating some of the most high profile people along the autism spectrum. This
week’s autism success story profiles German author and filmmaker Axel Brauns.
Who
is Axel Brauns?
Born in Hamburg, Germany, Axel Brauns is a writer
and filmmaker who is highly respected within his own country. After school
Brauns began studying law, however he stopped his studies in 1984 to
concentrate on his writing.
He has published numerous novels and created the
popular German literal character Adina
Adelung, and been
nominated for the German Book Prize. As well as this, in 1992 he penned his
bestselling autobiography Shadows and
Coloured Bats – Living in another world where he describes his autism,
which he says affected him from the age of one. Braun’s first feature film was Tsunami and Stone Piles and was
critically acclaimed.
Braun is also the subject of the full length
documentary The Red Carpet which
focuses on his autism as well as his creative process and his life in general,
a clip of which can be seen here - http://tinyurl.com/redcarpetclip.
Axel’s Experience of Autism
Like
many on the autistic spectrum, Braun is fascinated in studying a particular
topic. In Braun’s case, it is a reference book about German racing horse statistics
and genetic information: German Harness
Racing Studs. It was as a result of
the joy that reading this book that inspired Brauns to write books of his own.
He states in the film “My dream was to write a book that pleased other people as
much as this book pleased me”. Axel realised that unlike him most people are
interested in stories as opposed to race horse statistics, so decided to start
writing fiction.
In
his younger days Braun was unable to speak. As he grew older Axel painstakingly
taught himself facial expressions, speech patterns, and even comic timing by
watching films and reading books. His persistence paid off. Axel admits he
still feels uncomfortable around people he doesn’t know and forces himself to
spend time in public.
1 comment:
This was very interesting.I wonder if a detachment from humanities itty-bitty social stuff, doesn't allow for a broader sense...a progression. Instead of lifting one up for a moment, many are lifted for a great time. Science, Art, Ethics...removal from the minitua allows for greater, broader thought.
Marching to the sound of one's own drummer.
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