Johann Sziklai (born 1947 in
Dingolfing,
Germany) is a
poet and a teacher. He studied
English,
history, and
political science in
Tübingen and in
Bangor,
North Wales. Since 1975, he has been teaching at the
Gymnasium in
Plochingen am Neckar. Sziklai writes mainly poetry and short
prose. His first volume of poetry,
Schildkrötenwanderung (migration of the tortoises), was published in
1988. Three additional volumes of poetry have followed. The most recent was published in
1995 and has the title
Kreideweißheiten (chalk tales). As the title suggests, in
Kreideweißheiten Sziklai takes a hard look at the school system in Germany. Dealing with social and political issues is typical for much of Sziklai's work. His style of clear, brief statements and questions reads like prose and reflects his concerns with the realities of life.