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Max von der Grün

1926 – 2005

German author

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About Max von der Grün

Lived 1926 – 2005 (aged 78). Max von der Grün was a German novelist, writer, screenwriter, librettist and miner.

Max von der Grün (; 25 May 1926 – 7 April 2005) was a German writer.

Max von der Grün was born in Sankt Georgen (Bayreuth) and grew up in Mitterteich. After a clerical apprenticeship, he became a paratrooper during World War II in 1944. He was captured by U.S. forces near Quimper (France) and became a prisoner of war, spending three years in prison camps in Scotland, Louisiana, Texas, and New Mexico.

After his release, he worked as a bricklayer, and from 1951 to 1963 in the Zeche Königsborn mine near Unna. He started writing in 1955, initially poetry, later focusing on worker-class themes.

He wrote approximatly 20 books, one of them being: "Vorstadtkrokodile."

He was a founding member of the Dortmunder Gruppe 61, and a member of the International PEN.

Von der Grün died in Dortmund.

Works

Geheimes Kochbuch, Darmstadt 1960 Männer in zweifacher Nacht, Recklinghausen 1962 Irrlicht und Feuer, Recklinghausen 1963 Fahrtunterbrechung und andere Erzählungen, Frankfurt a. M. 1965 Feierabend, Recklinghausen 1968 (together with Hans Dieter Schwarze) Zwei Briefe an Pospischiel, Neuwied u. a. 1968 Flug über Zechen und Wälder. Nordrhein-Westfalen. Land der Gegensätze, Braunschweig 1970 Urlaub am Plattensee, Stierstadt i. Ts. 1970 Am Tresen gehn die Lichter aus, Stierstadt (im Taunus) 1972 Stenogramm, Düsseldorf 1972 Ein Tag wie jeder andere. Düsseldorf , 2. Aufl. 1976; u.d.T.: Ein Tag wie jeder andere. Reisen in die Gegenwart. Nach Südiler und zurück. München 1978 Menschen in Deutschland (BRD). 7 Porträts, Darmstadt u. a. 1973 Stellenweise Glatteis, Darmstadt u. a. 1973 Leben im gelobten Land. Gastarbeiterporträts, Darmstadt u. a. 1975 Wenn der tote Rabe vom Baum fällt, München 1975 , München 1976 Flächenbrand, Darmstadt u. a. 1979 Unsere Fabrik (Fotoband), Luzern [u.a.] 1979 (together with Oren Schmuckler and Günter Wallraff) Wie war das eigentlich? Kindheit und Jugend im Dritten Reich Darmstadt u. a. 1979, als Taschenbuch: dtv Etwas außerhalb der Legalität und andere Erzählungen, Darmstadt u. a. 1980 Unterwegs in Deutschland, Reinbek bei Hamburg 1980 Klassengespräche, Darmstadt u. a. 1981 Maloche. Leben im Revier [Fotobuch mit der Gruppe Anthrazit], Frankfurt am Main 1982 Späte Liebe, Darmstadt u. a. 1982 Friedrich und Friederike, Darmstadt u. a. 1983 Unser schönes Nordrhein-Westfalen. Von Menschen und Natur, von Kohle und Kultur, Frankfurt am Main 1983 Die Lawine, Darmstadt u. a. 1986 Waldläufer und Brückensteher, Stuttgart 1987 Das Revier. Eine Liebeserklärung, Dortmund 1988 (together with Peter Iwers) Eine Jugend in Franken, Göttingen 1990 Springflut, Frankfurt am Main 1990 Die Saujagd und andere Vorstadtgeschichten, München 1995 Die schöne Unbekannte, Reinbek bei Hamburg 1997 Vorstadtkrokodile. Eine Geschichte vom Aufpassen; ein Leseprojekt zu dem gleichnamigen Roman von Max von der Grün. Berlin 2000 (together with S. Schlepp-Pellny)

Filmography Irrlicht und Feuer, directed by Heinz Thiel and Horst E. Brandt (TV film, East Germany, 1966, based on the novel of the same name) Zwei Briefe an Pospischiel, directed by Ralf Kirsten (TV film, East Germany, 1970, based on the novel of the same name) Zwei Briefe an Pospischiel, directed by (TV film, West Germany, 1971, based on the novel of the same name) Stellenweise Glatteis, directed by Wolfgang Petersen (TV film, West Germany, 1975, based on the novel of the same name) , directed by Wolfgang Becker (TV film, West Germany, 1977, based on the novel ) Flächenbrand, directed by (TV film, West Germany, 1981, based on the novel of the same name) Friedrich und Friederike, directed by (TV series, 9 episodes, West Germany, 1988, based on the novel ) , directed by Christian Ditter (Germany, 2009, based on the novel ) , directed by Christian Ditter (Germany, 2010) , directed by Christian Ditter (Germany, 2011)

Screenwriter Am Tresen, directed by Johann-Richard Hänsel (TV series, 14 episodes, West Germany, 1967–1968) Feierabend, directed by (TV film, West Germany, 1968) Schichtwechsel, directed by (TV film, West Germany, 1968) Aufstiegschancen, directed by Thomas Fantl (TV film, West Germany, 1971) Späte Liebe, directed by (TV film, West Germany, 1978)

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Important facts

Birth century
Nationality
Awards
Order of Merit of North Rhine-Westphalia; Prize of the city of Nuremberg; Annette von Droste-Hülshoff Prize

People in Max von der Grün's life

Named in this biography and alive at the same time

Contemporaries

People whose lives overlapped Max von der Grün's

Frequently asked questions

Who was Max von der Grün?

German author (1926-2005)

When was Max von der Grün born?

Max von der Grün was born on 25 May 1926 in Bayreuth.

When did Max von der Grün die?

Max von der Grün died on 7 April 2005 in Dortmund.

What was Max von der Grün's occupation?

Max von der Grün was a novelist, writer, screenwriter, librettist and miner.

What nationality was Max von der Grün?

Max von der Grün was German.

Sources & further reading

· Wikipedia: Max von der Grün

· Wikidata: Q77733

· DBpedia: Max von der Grün

Cite this page

APA: Biography.guide. (2026). Max von der Grün. https://biography.guide/max-von-der-grun/

MLA: "Max von der Grün." Biography.guide, https://biography.guide/max-von-der-grun/.

Chicago: "Max von der Grün." Biography.guide. https://biography.guide/max-von-der-grun/.

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