Günter de Bruyn (; 1 November 1926 – 4 October 2020) was a German author.

Life

Günter de Bruyn was born in

Berlin Berlin ( , ) is the capital and largest city of Germany by both area and population. Its 3.7 million inhabitants make it the European Union's most populous city, according to population within city limits. One of Germany's sixteen constitue ...

in November 1926; his father Carl was a

Catholic The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics worldwide . It is among the world's oldest and largest international institutions, and has played a ...

from

Bavaria Bavaria ( ; ), officially the Free State of Bavaria (german: Freistaat Bayern, link=no ), is a state in the south-east of Germany. With an area of , Bavaria is the largest German state by land area, comprising roughly a fifth of the total lan ...

. Günter served as a

Luftwaffenhelfer A ''Luftwaffenhelfer'', also commonly known as a ''Flakhelfer'', was any member of the auxiliary staff of the German ''Luftwaffe'' during World War II. Such terms often implied students conscripted as child soldiers. Establishment ''Luftwaff ...

and soldier in

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

. Wounded, he was then held in custody by the United States as a

prisoner of war A prisoner of war (POW) is a person who is held captive by a belligerent power during or immediately after an armed conflict. The earliest recorded usage of the phrase "prisoner of war" dates back to 1610. Belligerents hold prisoners of wa ...

; after his release he found a job as a farm worker in

Hesse Hesse (, , ) or Hessia (, ; german: Hessen ), officially the State of Hessen (german: links=no, Land Hessen), is a States of Germany, state in Germany. Its capital city is Wiesbaden, and the largest urban area is Frankfurt. Two other major histor ...

. After his return to Berlin, he trained as a "new teacher" in

Potsdam Potsdam () is the capital and, with around 183,000 inhabitants, largest city of the German state of Brandenburg. It is part of the Berlin/Brandenburg Metropolitan Region. Potsdam sits on the River Havel, a tributary of the Elbe, downstream of B ...

. Until 1949 he worked as a teacher in a village near

Rathenow Rathenow () is a town in the district of Havelland in Brandenburg, Germany, with a population of 24,063 (2020). Overview The Protestant church of St. Marien Andreas, originally a basilica, and transformed to the Gothic style in 1517-1589, and the ...

Brandenburg Brandenburg (; nds, Brannenborg; dsb, Bramborska ) is a states of Germany, state in the northeast of Germany bordering the states of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, Lower Saxony, Saxony-Anhalt, and Saxony, as well as the country of Poland. With an ar ...

. Subsequently, he trained as a

librarian A librarian is a person who works professionally in a library providing access to information, and sometimes social or technical programming, or instruction on information literacy to users. The role of the librarian has changed much over time, ...

and worked at the ''Zentralinstitut für Bibliothekswesen'' (Central Institute for Library Knowledge) in

East Berlin East Berlin was the ''de facto'' capital city of East Germany from 1949 to 1990. Formally, it was the Allied occupation zones in Germany, Soviet sector of Berlin, established in 1945. The American, British, and French sectors were known as ...

from 1953 to 1961. Since 1961 de Bruyn has lived as a freelance writer. From 1965 to 1978, he was a member of the ''Zentralvorstandes des Schriftstellerverbandes der DDR'' (Central Executive Committee of the Literary Association of East Germany); he was a member of the presidency of the

PEN Centre The Pen Centre (originally Niagara Peninsula Shopping Centre) is the largest shopping mall in the Niagara Region, located in St. Catharines, Ontario, Canada. History The Pen Centre was built in 1957 as the Niagara Peninsula Centre, a single- ...

East Germany East Germany, officially the German Democratic Republic (GDR; german: Deutsche Demokratische Republik, , DDR, ), was a country that existed from its creation on 7 October 1949 until its dissolution on 3 October 1990. In these years the state ...

from 1974 to 1982. In October 1989, Günter de Bruyn declined to accept the

National Prize of East Germany The National Prize of the German Democratic Republic (East Germany) (german: Nationalpreis der Deutschen Demokratischen Republik) was an award of the German Democratic Republic (GDR) given out in three different classes for scientific, artistic, ...

. De Bruyn later lived in the village of Görsdorf (part of the municipality of

Tauche Tauche ( Lower Sorbian: ''Tuchow'') is a municipality on both sides of the river Spree in the Oder-Spree district, in Brandenburg, Germany. The large municipality consists of 12 parts (German: ''Ortsteile'') or villages with other local parts/ ...

) in

, as well as in Berlin. He was a member of the German PEN Centre. He died in October 2020 at the age of 93.Günther de Bruyn ist tot
/ref>

Literary activity

Günter de Bruyn's works range from the frequently autobiographically colored Realist

novel A novel is a relatively long work of narrative fiction, typically written in prose and published as a book. The present English word for a long work of prose fiction derives from the for "new", "news", or "short story of something new", itsel ...

s and

narrative A narrative, story, or tale is any account of a series of related events or experiences, whether nonfictional (memoir, biography, news report, documentary, travel literature, travelogue, etc.) or fictional (fairy tale, fable, legend, thriller (ge ...

s which explain critiques of the private lives of the artists in East Germany to

essay An essay is, generally, a piece of writing that gives the author's own argument, but the definition is vague, overlapping with those of a letter, a paper, an article, a pamphlet, and a short story. Essays have been sub-classified as formal a ...

s on literary science and historical themes, particularly

Prussia Prussia, , Old Prussian: ''Prūsa'' or ''Prūsija'' was a German state on the southeast coast of the Baltic Sea. It formed the German Empire under Prussian rule when it united the German states in 1871. It was ''de facto'' dissolved by an em ...

n history. He edited a series of works from 18th and 19th century authors in Berlin and Brandenburg, which appear under the title ''Märkischer Dichtergarten''. He had great success in the 1990s with the two volumes of his autobiography, ''Zwischenbilanz'' and ''Vierzig Jahre''.

Awards

* 1964

Heinrich Mann Prize The Heinrich Mann Prize () is an essay prize that has been awarded since 1953, first by the East German Academy of Arts, then by the Academy of Arts, Berlin. The prize, which comes with a €10,000 purse, is given annually on 27 March, Heinrich Ma ...

* 1981

Lion-Feuchtwanger-Preis The Lion Feuchtwanger Prize is a German literary prize for historical prose. It is awarded by the Academy of Arts, Berlin on 7 July, the anniversary of his birthday. It was endowed by Marta Feuchtwanger, the widow of Lion Feuchtwanger. It was aw ...

* 1989

Thomas-Mann-Preis Thomas Mann Prize (''German'': Thomas-Mann-Preis) is a literary prize of Germany. In full the title is "Thomas Mann Prize of the city of Lübeck and the Bavarian Academy of Fine Arts". It is given in alternate years in Lübeck and in Munich. The ...

* 1990

Heinrich-Böll-Preis The Heinrich-Böll-Preis is a literary prize of Germany, awarded by the City of Cologne in memory of Nobel Prize winner Heinrich Böll. The prize money is €30,000. The prize is awarded "for outstanding achievements – even by still unknown au ...

of the City of

Cologne Cologne ( ; german: Köln ; ksh, Kölle ) is the largest city of the German western States of Germany, state of North Rhine-Westphalia (NRW) and the List of cities in Germany by population, fourth-most populous city of Germany with 1.1 m ...

* 1991

Honorary degree An honorary degree is an academic degree for which a university (or other degree-awarding institution) has waived all of the usual requirements. It is also known by the Latin phrases ''honoris causa'' ("for the sake of the honour") or ''ad hono ...

of the

University of Freiburg The University of Freiburg (colloquially german: Uni Freiburg), officially the Albert Ludwig University of Freiburg (german: Albert-Ludwigs-Universität Freiburg), is a public university, public research university located in Freiburg im Breisg ...

* 1993

Großer Literaturpreis der Bayerischen Akademie der Schönen Künste Großer Literaturpreis der Bayerischen Akademie der Schönen Künste (in English: Literature Award of the Bavarian Academy of the Fine Arts) was a Bavarian literary prize by the Bayerische Akademie der Schönen Künste. In 2010, it merged with the ...

(Greater Literary Prize of the Bavarian Academy of Fine Arts) * 1994

Bundesverdienstkreuz The Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany (german: Verdienstorden der Bundesrepublik Deutschland, or , BVO) is the only federal decoration of Germany. It is awarded for special achievements in political, economic, cultural, intellect ...

Germany Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwe ...

* 1996 Literary Prize of the

Konrad Adenauer Foundation The Konrad Adenauer Foundation (german: Konrad-Adenauer-Stiftung, KAS) is a German political party foundation associated with but independent of the centre-right Christian Democratic Union (CDU). The foundation's headquarters are located in Sank ...

* 1996 Literary Prize of the

state State may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Literature * ''State Magazine'', a monthly magazine published by the U.S. Department of State * ''The State'' (newspaper), a daily newspaper in Columbia, South Carolina, United States * ''Our S ...

* 1997

Jean-Paul Prize Jean-Paul-Preis is a Bavarian literary prize, awarded bi-annually by the Free State of Bavaria. It is named in honour of the German Romanticism, German Romantic writer Jean Paul. The prize money is €15,000. Recipients *1983 Hans Egon Holthuse ...

* 1999 Honorary degree of the

Humboldt University of Berlin Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin (german: Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, abbreviated HU Berlin) is a German public research university in the central borough of Mitte in Berlin. It was established by Frederick William III on the initiative o ...

* 1999

Fontane Prize of the City of Neuruppin The Fontane Prize of the City of Neuruppin was donated in 1994 on the occasion of the 175th birthday of Theodor Fontane from his native city of Neuruppin. History The Fontane Literature Prize has several predecessors. It was awarded for the firs ...

* 2000

Ernst-Robert-Curtius-Preis Ernst-Robert-Curtius-Preis was a German literary prize, named after the literary scholar Ernst Robert Curtius. It was founded in 1984, and recognizes outstanding essay writers. The prize was awarded until 2015 at the Rheinische Friedrich-Wilhelms- ...

for essays;

Friedrich-Schiedel-Literaturpreis Bad Wurzach (until 1950 Wurzach) is a small spa town in southern Germany, in the state of Baden-Württemberg. It is a well known health-resort destination, and home to the oldest bog spa (in German: ''Moorheilbad'') in Baden-Württemberg, as well ...

* 2005

Order of Merit of Brandenburg The Order of Merit of Brandenburg (german: Verdienstorden des Landes Brandenburg) is a civil order of merit, and the highest award of the German State of Brandenburg. The award is presented by the Minister-President of Brandenburg. Notable recipi ...

* 2006

Jacob Grimm German Language Prize Jacob (; ; ar, يَعْقُوب, Jacob in Islam, Yaʿqūb; gr, Ἰακώβ, Iakṓb), later given the name Israel (name), Israel, is regarded as a Patriarchs (Bible), patriarch of the Israelites and is an important figure in Abrahamic religi ...

* 2007

Gleim Literary Prize Gleim may refer to: *Johann Wilhelm Ludwig Gleim Johann Wilhelm Ludwig Gleim (2 April 1719 – 18 February 1803) was a German poet, commonly associated with the Enlightenment movement. Life Gleim was born at the small town of Ermsleben in the ...

* 2007

Hanns Martin Schleyer Prize The Hanns Martin Schleyer Foundation (German: ''Hanns Martin Schleyer-Stiftung'') is a German Foundation (nonprofit), foundation that promotes research in economics, law and cultural sciences. It was established in 1977 by the Confederation of Ger ...

* 2008

Hoffmann von Fallersleben Prize The Hoffmann von Fallersleben Prize (german: Hoffmann-von-Fallersleben-Preis für zeitkritische Literatur) is an international literary award, awarded by the Hoffmann von Fallersleben Society (german: Hoffmann-von-Fallersleben-Gesellschaft) in me ...

* 2009 Max-Herrmann-Preis * 2011

Johann-Heinrich-Merck-Preis Johann-Heinrich-Merck-Preis is a literary prize of Hesse awarded by the Deutsche Akademie für Sprache und Dichtung since 1964. Since 2013 the prize winner receives €20,000. The award is donated by the Merck Group in memory of the German author ...

Works

* ''Über die Arbeit in Freihandbibliotheken'', Berlin 1957 * ''Hochzeit in Weltzow'', Halle (Saale) 1960 * ''Wiedersehen an der Spree'', Halle (Saale) 1960 * ''Einführung in die Systematik für allgemeinbildende Bibliotheken'', Berlin 1961 * ''Der Hohlweg'', Halle (Saale) 1963 * ''Ein schwarzer, abgrundtiefer See'', Halle (Saale) 1963 * ''Maskeraden'', Halle (Saale) 1966 * ''Buridans Esel'', Halle (Saale) 1968 (first published in 1963 in «Sinn und Form») * ''Preisverleihung'', Halle (Saale) 1972 * ''Tristan und Isolde, Berlin 1975 * ''Das Leben des Jean Paul Friedrich Richter'', Halle (Saale) 1975 * ''Märkische Forschungen'', Halle (Saale) et al. 1978 * ''Im Querschnitt'', Halle (Saale) et al. 1979 * ''Babylon'', Leipzig 1980 * ''Neue Herrlichkeit'', Frankfurt am Main 1984 * ''Lesefreuden'', Frankfurt am Main 1986 * ''Frauendienst'', Halle (Saale) et al. 1986 * ''Brandenburg'', München et al. 1991 (with Hauke Dressler) * ''Im Spreeland'', Freiburg im Breisgau 1991 (with Erhard Pansegrau) * ''Jubelschreie, Trauergesänge'', Frankfurt am Main 1991 * ''Zwischenbilanz'', Frankfurt am Main 1992 * ''Mein Brandenburg'', Frankfurt am Main 1993 (with Barbara Klemm) * ''Das erzählte Ich'', Frankfurt am Main 1995 * ''Was ich noch schreiben will'', Göttingen 1995 (with Ingo Hermann) * ''Irritation und Verstehen'', Stuttgart 1995 * ''Vierzig Jahre'', Frankfurt am Main 1996 * ''Altersbetrachtungen über den alten Fontane'', Berlin 1999 * ''Die Finckensteins'', Berlin 1999 * ''Deutsche Zustände'', Frankfurt am Main 1999 * ''Preußens Luise. Vom Entstehen und Vergehen einer Legende'', Berlin 2001 (on the legacy of

Louise of Mecklenburg-Strelitz Duchess Louise of Mecklenburg-Strelitz (Luise Auguste Wilhelmine Amalie; 10 March 1776 – 19 July 1810) was Queen of Prussia as the wife of King Frederick William III. The couple's happy, though short-lived, marriage produced nine child ...

, Queen consort of Prussia) * ''Unzeitgemäßes'', Frankfurt am Main 2001 * ''Unter den Linden'', Berlin 2003 * ''Abseits. Liebeserklärungen an eine Landschaft. Mit Fotos von Rüdiger Südhoff'', Frankfurt am Main 2005 * ''Als Poesie gut. Schicksale aus Berlins Kunstepoche 1786 bis 1807''. Frankfurt am Main 2006 * ''Die Zeit der schweren Not: Schicksale aus dem Kulturleben Berlins 1807 bis 1815'', S. Fischer, Frankfurt am Main 2010, . E-Book * ''Gräfin Elisa. Eine Lebens- und Liebesgeschichte'', S. Fischer, Frankfurt am Main 2012, . E-Book

Editorial work

* ''Das Lästerkabinett'', Leipzig 1970 *

Jean Paul Jean Paul (; born Johann Paul Friedrich Richter, 21 March 1763 – 14 November 1825) was a German Romantic writer, best known for his humorous novels and stories. Life and work Jean Paul was born at Wunsiedel, in the Fichtelgebirge mountain ...

: ''Leben des Quintus Fixlein'', Berlin 1976 * Theodor Gottlieb von Hippel: ''Über die Ehe'', Berlin 1979 *

Friedrich de la Motte Fouqué Friedrich Heinrich Karl de la Motte, Baron Fouqué (); (12 February 1777 – 23 January 1843) was a German writer of the Romantic style. Biography He was born at Brandenburg an der Havel, of a family of French Huguenot origin, as evidenced in ...

: ''Ritter und Geister'', Berlin 1980 (Märkischer Dichtergarten) *

Friedrich Wilhelm August Schmidt Friedrich may refer to: Names *Friedrich (surname), people with the surname ''Friedrich'' *Friedrich (given name), people with the given name ''Friedrich'' Other *Friedrich (board game), a board game about Frederick the Great and the Seven Years' ...

: ''Einfalt und Natur'', Berlin 1981 (Märkischer Dichtergarten) *

Christoph Friedrich Nicolai Christoph Friedrich Nicolai (18 March 1733 – 11 January 1811) was a German writer and bookseller. Life Nicolai was born in Berlin, where his father, Christoph Gottlieb Nicolai (d. 1752), was the founder of the bookseller ''Nicolaisch ...

: ''Vertraute Briefe von Adelheid B. an ihre Freundin Julie S. Freuden des jungen Werthers'', Berlin 1982 (Märkischer Dichtergarten) *

Ludwig Tieck Johann Ludwig Tieck (; ; 31 May 177328 April 1853) was a German poet, fiction writer, translator, and critic. He was one of the founding fathers of the Romantic movement in the late 18th and early 19th centuries. Early life Tieck was born in Be ...

: ''Die männliche Mutter und andere Liebes-,Lebens-, Spott- und Schauergeschichten'', Berlin 1983 (Märkischer Dichtergarten) *

Rahel Levin Rahel Antonie Friederike Varnhagen () (née Levin, later Robert; 19 May 1771 – 7 March 1833) was a German writer who hosted one of the most prominent salons in Europe during the late 18th and early 19th centuries. She is the subject of a celeb ...

: ''Rahels erste Liebe'', Berlin 1985 (Märkischer Dichtergarten) *

Ernst Theodor Amadeus Hoffmann Ernst Theodor Amadeus Hoffmann (born Ernst Theodor Wilhelm Hoffmann; 24 January 1776 – 25 June 1822) was a German Romantic author of fantasy and Gothic horror, a jurist, composer, music critic and artist. Penrith Goff, "E.T.A. Hoffmann" in ...

: ''Gespenster in der Friedrichstadt'', Berlin 1986 (Märkischer Dichtergarten) *

Theodor Fontane Theodor Fontane (; 30 December 1819 – 20 September 1898) was a German novelist and poet, regarded by many as the most important 19th-century German-language realist author. He published the first of his novels, for which he is best known toda ...

: ''Die schönsten Wanderungen durch die Mark Brandenburg'', Berlin 1988 (Märkischer Dichtergarten) *

Friedrich August Ludwig von der Marwitz Friedrich August Ludwig von der Marwitz (29 May 1777, in Berlin – 6 December 1837, in Friedersdorf, Markisch-Oderland, Friedersdorf) was a Prussian nobleman, officer and opponent of the Prussian reforms of Heinrich Friedrich Karl vom Stein. ...

: ''Nachrichten aus meinem Leben'', Berlin 1989 (Märkischer Dichtergarten) * ''Friedrichshagen und seine Dichter. Arkadien in Preußen'', Berlin 1992 (Märkischer Dichtergarten) * Moritz Heimann: ''Die Mark, wo sie am märkischsten ist'', Berlin 1996 (Märkischer Dichtergarten)

Film adaptations

* 1978: ''Hochzeit in Weltzow'' * 1980: ', based on ''Buridans Esel'' * 1981: ''Märkische Forschungen''

References

External links

Literature by and on Günter de Bruyn
in the catalog of the

German National Library The German National Library (DNB; german: Deutsche Nationalbibliothek) is the central archival library and national bibliographic centre for the Federal Republic of Germany. It is one of the largest libraries in the world. Its task is to colle ...

Commentated Link Collection
by the University Library at the

Free University of Berlin The Free University of Berlin (, often abbreviated as FU Berlin or simply FU) is a public research university in Berlin, Germany. It is consistently ranked among Germany's best universities, with particular strengths in political science and t ...

Märkische Musenhöfe: Günter de Bruyn
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Bruyn, Gunter de 1926 births 2020 deaths Commanders Crosses of the Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany East German writers German male writers Luftwaffenhelfer Heinrich Mann Prize winners Members of the Academy of Arts, Berlin Writers from Berlin German prisoners of war in World War II held by the United States German military personnel of World War II