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Christoph Hein

b. 1944

German writer and translator (born 1944)

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About Christoph Hein

Born 1944. Christoph Hein is a German translator, playwright, writer, essayist, prose writer and novelist.

Christoph Hein (; born 8 April 1944) is a German author and translator. He grew up in the town Bad Düben near Leipzig. Being a clergyman's son and thus not allowed to attend the Erweiterte Oberschule (EOS) in the GDR, he received secondary education at a gymnasium in the western part of Berlin. After his Abitur he jobbed inter alia as assembler, bookseller and assistant director.

Awards Source:

1982: Heinrich Mann Prize of the Akademie der Künste der DDR 1983: Deutscher Kritikerpreis 1986: Mara-Cassens-Preis des Hamburger Literaturhauses für den Ersten Roman 1989: Stefan-Andres-Preis (Stadt Schweich an der Mosel) 1989: Lessing-Preis der DDR (Ministerium für Kultur) 1990: Erich Fried Prize (Wien) 1992: Ludwig-Mülheims-Theaterpreis für religiöse Dramatik 1992: Berliner Literaturpreis of the Stiftung Preußische Seehandlung 1994: Großes Bundesverdienstkreuz (5. Oktober 1994) 1998: Peter-Weiss-Preis of the city of Bochum 2000: Solothurner Literaturpreis 2000: Zonser Hörspielpreis 2002: Brothers Grimm Poetics Professorship 2002: Österreichischer Staatspreis für Europäische Literatur 2003: Calwer Hermann-Hesse-Stipendium 2004: Schiller-Gedächtnispreis des Landes Baden-Württemberg 2004: Ver.di-Literaturpreis Berlin-Brandenburg 2008: Walter-Hasenclever-Literaturpreis 2010: Eichendorff-Literaturpreis 2011: Gerty-Spies-Literaturpreis 2011: Honorary citizenship of Bad Düben 2012: Uwe Johnson Prize 2013: International Stefan Heym Prize 2017: Grimmelshausen-Preis for Glückskind mit Vater 2020: Kinderbuchpreis des Landes Nordrhein-Westfalen (together illustrator Rotraut Susanne Berner) for Alles was Du brauchst – Die 20 wichtigsten Dinge im Leben

Works Die Witwe des Maurers (1980) Frank, eine Kindheit mit Vätern (narrative, 1980) Einladung zum Lever Bourgeois (narratives, 1980) Cromwell und andere Stücke (plays, 1981) Der fremde Freund (novella, 1982, in Western Germany: Drachenblut, English translation The Distant Lover) Die wahre Geschichte des Ah Q (play, 1982) Das Wildpferd unterm Kachelofen (children's book, 1984) Horns Ende (novel, 1985) Schlötel oder Was solls (play, 1986) Öffentlich arbeiten (essays and interviews, 1987) Passage – ein Kammerspiel in drei Akten (play, 1987) Die Ritter der Tafelrunde (play, 1989) Der Tangospieler (narrative, 1989, English translation The Tango Player) Als Kind habe ich Stalin gesehen (essays and speeches, 1990) Das Napoleon-Spiel (novel, 1993) Exekution eines Kalbes und andere Erzählungen (narratives, 1994) Randow – eine Komödie (play, 1994) Von allem Anfang an (autobiography, 1997) Willenbrock (novel, 2000, made into a movie in 2005, English translation Willenbrock) Mama ist gegangen (children's novel, 2003) Landnahme (novel, 2004, English translation "Settlement" to be published November 2008) In seiner frühen Kindheit ein Garten (novel, 2005) Frau Paula Trousseau (novel 2007) Über die Schädlichkeit des Tabaks. Rede an die Abiturienten des Jahrgangs 2009 Das Narrenschiff. 2025. Novel, Ship of Fools, not yet translated into English.

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Important facts

Birth century
Nationality
Awards
Walter-Hasenclever-Literaturpreis; Schiller Memorial Prize; Stefan Heym International Award; Heinrich Mann Prize; Berliner Literaturpreis; Peter-Weiss Prize; Erich Fried Prize; Commander's Cross of the Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany; Austrian State Prize for European Literature; Brüder-Grimm-Poetikprofessur; Eichendorff-Literaturpreis

People in Christoph Hein's life

Named in this biography and alive at the same time

Contemporaries

People whose lives overlapped Christoph Hein's

Frequently asked questions

Who is Christoph Hein?

German writer and translator (born 1944)

When was Christoph Hein born?

Christoph Hein was born on 8 April 1944 in Jasienica, Lower Silesian Voivodeship.

What is Christoph Hein's occupation?

Christoph Hein is a translator, playwright, writer, essayist, prose writer and novelist.

What nationality is Christoph Hein?

Christoph Hein is German.

Sources & further reading

· Wikipedia: Christoph Hein

· Wikidata: Q77497

· DBpedia: Christoph Hein

Cite this page

APA: Biography.guide. (2026). Christoph Hein. https://biography.guide/christoph-hein/

MLA: "Christoph Hein." Biography.guide, https://biography.guide/christoph-hein/.

Chicago: "Christoph Hein." Biography.guide. https://biography.guide/christoph-hein/.

Data last updated: 2026-09-22 · Spot an error? Report a correction.

Portrait: Wikimedia Commons · author & licence

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