Brinkbäumer, Klaus 1967-

views updated

Brinkbäumer, Klaus 1967-

PERSONAL:

Born January 27, 1967, in Münster, Germany; son of Bernard (an academic) and Anne Brinkbäumer; children: Cora. Education: Attended the University of California, Santa Barbara, and the University of Munich.

ADDRESSES:

Home—New York, NY. Office—Der Spiegel, 516 5th Ave., Penthouse, New York, NY 10036. E-mail—[email protected].

CAREER:

Journalist. Der Spiegel, New York, NY, reporter, editor, and New York correspondent, c. 1993—.

WRITINGS:

Irak (nonfiction), 2003.

(With Clemens Höges) The Voyage of the Vizcaína: The Mystery of Christopher Columbus's Last Ship, translated by Annette Streck, Harcourt (Orlando, FL), 2006.

Der Traum vom Leben (nonfiction), 2006.

Unter dem Sand (novel), 2007.

SIDELIGHTS:

Klaus Brinkbäumer is a journalist. Born in Münster, Germany, Brinkbäumer pursued academic studies at the University of Munich and the University of California, Santa Barbara, before becoming a journalist. In the early 1990s, he began working as a reporter for Der Spiegel, a German news magazine. He later undertook editing responsibilities and became the New York correspondent. He has written a number of books, mostly nonfiction in nature, but also a novel, called Unter dem Sand.

In 2006 Brinkbäumer published The Voyage of the Vizcaína: The Mystery of Christopher Columbus's Last Ship with fellow journalist Clemens Höges. Translated into English by Annette Streck, the book tells of Brinkbäumer and Höges's experience diving on a shipwreck near Nombre de Dios, Panama. The wreck, thought to be that of Christopher Columbus's Vizcaína, elicited a number of stories, myths, and legends about the ship itself and the possibility that this wreckage may hold in uncovering some truths about Columbus's final voyage to the Americas.

James Neal Webb, writing on the BookPage Web site, called the book "a readable, insightful look" at the voyages of Columbus. Webb concluded that "this is a fascinating, and sometimes frustrating book, but a topic well worth exploring." A contributor to Reference & Research Book News described the account as both "academic but accessible." Michele E. Davis, writing on the Armchair Interviews Web site, described the book as "thrilling historical, yet scientific reading that leaves you satiated with a host of historical facts and awe about modern archeology." Ingrid Levin discouraged readers new to the topic from using this account as their primary source while writing in Library Journal, but suggested that "adventure fans or Columbus buffs may be willing to overlook the uneven writing style and lack of storytelling focus." In a separate article, another contributor to Reference & Research Book News found the book to be "entirely fascinating." A contributor to Kirkus Reviews noted that the authors pay "particular attention to the ship he scuttled on his fourth and final voyage," adding that the book is "a swift, informed, and balanced account of Columbus, his times, his voyages." A contributor to the Midwest Book Review commented that "their saga blends archaeological and historical revelations with all the drama of a true adventure, which will involve many" readers, both casual and those already informed of its history or underwater archaeology, in general. A contributor to Publishers Weekly remarked that "this is a cracking good tale of exploration, discovery, and the politics that surround any archaeological discovery."

Klaus Brinkbäumer told CA: "To tell the stories I'd like to listen to, and to try to write what I'd like to read—that is what I wish to do. Being a reporter in places like Iraq brings me to people whose stories definitely should be told by someone."