Dietmar Dath systematically transgresses and flaunts genres, writing everything from poetry and (science) fiction to journalism as well as translating from English. From 1998 to 2000 he was editor of the German pop-culture journal Spex – think ID or The Wire – and from 2001 to 2007 of the arts section of the Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung – think Daily Telegraph, except that in cultural pages of the FAZ journalists are traditionally given free rein, and Dath is known for his uncompromising left-wing views. Indeed asked by Spiegel if hoped his literature would help bring about the end of the capitalist system he replied ‘absolutely’. His novel Die Abschaffung der Arten (‘the abolition of the species’) shortlisted for the German Book Prize, will be published in 2011 by Seagull Books in English. (2010)