My name is Alexandra Wagner. I was born in 1970 in Wagna in southern Styria, and spent my childhood in Straß and Leibnitz. I studied German philology and Folklore in Graz and later in Vienna. My official job title, i.e. what I write on forms for the sake of simplicity, is “housewife.” By now I have been married to Peter for a small eternity, together we have five children between the ages of 15 and 2 - in the order of their appearance: Johannes, Matthias, Lukas, Maria and Jakob (our children would mention at this point that we still have a dog called Teddy). Since 1996 I have lived with my family in St. Johann bei Herberstein in a house with blue and red bars. Although I actually felt more like a "city dweller", I am now really at home here.

 

A good two years ago I was diagnosed with cancer, which meant a big break in my life so far. During this very difficult time for my family and me, I started looking for a way to continue living; a way that seemed to me to be coherent, viable and worth living. In this search, I was helped by those activities that have always attracted me: Painting and writing. Despite all the suffering, the time of illness also gave me the chance to live my life differently: To let go of the old and to dare something new. The impulse was there to start painting and to take up writing.

 

*written 2008. Alexandra Wagner died on 19 March 2009 at the age of 39.