Arno Surminski (born 20 August 1934 in
Jäglack,
East Prussia) is a
German writer
This list contains the names of persons (of any ethnicity or nationality) who wrote fiction, essays, or plays in the German language. It includes both living and deceased writers.
Most of the medieval authors are alphabetized by their first na ...
, living in
Hamburg
(male), (female) en, Hamburger(s),
Hamburgian(s)
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, a father of three and a grandfather of 8.
After growing up in East Prussia, his parents were deported to the
Soviet Union
The Soviet Union,. officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR),. was a List of former transcontinental countries#Since 1700, transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 to 1991. A flagship communist state, ...
, while he was
expelled to
Schleswig-Holstein
Schleswig-Holstein (; da, Slesvig-Holsten; nds, Sleswig-Holsteen; frr, Slaswik-Holstiinj) is the northernmost of the 16 states of Germany, comprising most of the historical duchy of Holstein and the southern part of the former Duchy of Sc ...
. Having finished his school education there, he was apprenticed to a
lawyer from 1950-1953.
He lived in
Canada
Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering over , making it the world's second-largest country by tot ...
from 1957 to 1960, but then came back to Germany, where he worked for an insurance company from 1962 until 1972.
Since 1972, apart from writing, he has been working as a
journalist
A journalist is an individual that collects/gathers information in form of text, audio, or pictures, processes them into a news-worthy form, and disseminates it to the public. The act or process mainly done by the journalist is called journalis ...
, specialising in
economy
An economy is an area of the production, distribution and trade, as well as consumption of goods and services. In general, it is defined as a social domain that emphasize the practices, discourses, and material expressions associated with the ...
and
insurance
Insurance is a means of protection from financial loss in which, in exchange for a fee, a party agrees to compensate another party in the event of a certain loss, damage, or injury. It is a form of risk management, primarily used to hedge ...
. His fame is mainly due to his novels, the principal themes of which are his recollections of a happy childhood and the fate of the deportees; he has no interest however in revenge, but only wants to preserve his childhood memories. Several of his books were used for TV productions.
Since 2001, he has been working as an
ombudsman in the field of health insurance.
Books by Surminski
* Jokehnen oder Wie lange fährt man von Ostpreußen nach Deutschland?
* Aus dem Nest gefallen
* Kudenow oder An fremden Wassern weinen
* Fremdes Land oder Als die Freiheit noch zu haben war
* Wie Königsberg im Winter
* Polninken oder Eine deutsche Liebe
* Grunowen oder das vergangene Leben
* Gewitter im Januar
* Malojawind. Eine Liebesgeschichte
* Aus dem Leben eines Buchhändlers
* Das dunkle Ende des Regenbogens
* Damals in Poggenwalde
* Kein schöner Land
* Besuch aus Stralsund
* Sommer 44 oder Wie lange fährt man von Deutschland nach Ostpreußen?
* Die masurischen Könige
* Eine gewisse Karriere
* Die Kinder von Moorhusen
* Der Winter der Tiere
* Vaterland ohne Väter
* Gruschelke und Engelmanke
* Die Vogelwelt von Auschwitz,
* Das alte Ostpreussen
Awards
*1978
Andreas Gryphius Prize
The Andreas-Gryphius Prize is a prestigious literary prize in Germany, named after the German poet Andreas Gryphius (1616–1664). The prize is awarded to authors and translators whose work reflects German culture and history in Central, Eastern ...
*1982 Kulturpreis der Landsmannschaft Ostpreußen für Literatur
*1993 Hamburger Bürgerpreis
*2001 Lessing-Ring zusammen mit dem ''Kulturpreis der deutschen Freimaurer''
*2004 Friedrich-Schiedel-Literaturpreis der Stadt Bad Wurzach; Biermann-Ratjen-Medaille der Freien und Hansestadt Hamburg
*2008
Hannelore Greve Literature Prize
External links
*
*
arno-surminski.de
1934 births
Living people
People from East Prussia
German male writers
Recipients of the Cross of the Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany
People from Kętrzyn County
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