Ralf Rothmann (born in 1953) grew up in the Ruhr region and left school aged 14 to work as a bricklayer. He held a wide variety of jobs in the years before becoming a writer, such as carer, cook, printer and construction worker. It is precisely this unconventional background that characterizes his work. Many of his novels are set in the Ruhr region in the 1960s and 70s, poignantly portraying the hardships of life in this area. He has published several novels, short stories, plays and poems and been awarded numerous prizes. He has been living and working in Berlin for 30 years. (2013)
Awards (selection)
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Friedrich-Hölderlin-Preis 2013
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Walter-Hasenclever-Literaturpreis 2010
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Hans-Fallada-Preis der Stadt Neumünster 2008
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Max-Frisch-Preis 2006
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Heinrich-Böll-Preis 2005.
Winter 2014 (Issue 09), Gethsemane
Winter 2013 (Issue 08), The Stars Below