Handke was natural within Griffen, Austria. His father was the German bank clerk and his mother was from either Slovenia. He spent his youth in the Eastern sector of Berlin and Griffen. His earliest writings appeared inside Fackel, the school magazine at Tanzenberg, a Catholic boys' boarding school he attended. He exposed law at a University of Graz (1961-65). In a period of this period, he joined the writers' class action Forum Stadtpark, and his function was published in the magazine Manuskripte. He left school upon publication of his number one novel, which began his career as an creator.

His number one play, Publikumsbeschimpfung ("Offending the Audience", 1966) was labeled as antitheater. In a play, a actors insult the audience and so praise the children for their "performance." Therein equivalent month, he manufactured the great impression at a meeting of Group 47 at Princeton University.

Within 1969, Handke was the instauration member of the Verlag der Autoren--The Authors' Publisher--inside Frankfurt am Main. From either 1973-1977 he was the member of the Graz Authors' Assembly. Since so, he's sleep in Graz, Düsseldorf, Berlin, Kronberg in the Taunus, and since 1979 has spent much of instance within Salzburg, Austria. At a moment he lives around Chaville, France.

When you took a NATO attack on Yugoslavia in 1999, Handke furiously attacked the American alliance, each around newspaper essays, books and theatrical plays.

Handke collaborated by using director Wim Wenders on a film version of his novel Die Angst des Tormanns beim Elfmeter (''The Goalie's Anxiety at the Penalty Kick'') and co-wrote the screenplay for Wenders' Wings of Desire.