Saša Stanišić ( sr-cyr, Саша Станишић; born 7 March 1978) is a Bosnian-German writer. He was born in

Višegrad Višegrad ( sr-cyrl, Вишеград, ) is a town and municipality located in eastern Republika Srpska, an entity of Bosnia and Herzegovina. It rests at the confluence of the Drina and the Rzav river. As of 2013, it has a population of 10,668 ...

Bosnia and Herzegovina Bosnia and Herzegovina ( sh, / , ), abbreviated BiH () or B&H, sometimes called Bosnia–Herzegovina and often known informally as Bosnia, is a country at the crossroads of south and southeast Europe, located in the Balkans. Bosnia and H ...

as the son of a Bosniak mother and a Serbian father. In the spring of 1992, he fled alongside his family to

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 ...

as a refugee of the Bosnian War. Stanišić spent the remainder of his youth in

Heidelberg Heidelberg (; Palatine German language, Palatine German: ''Heidlberg'') is a city in the States of Germany, German state of Baden-Württemberg, situated on the river Neckar in south-west Germany. As of the 2016 census, its population was 159,914 ...

, where his teachers encouraged his passion for writing. After graduating from high school, he enrolled in the

University of Heidelberg } Heidelberg University, officially the Ruprecht Karl University of Heidelberg, (german: Ruprecht-Karls-Universität Heidelberg; la, Universitas Ruperto Carola Heidelbergensis) is a public research university in Heidelberg, Baden-Württemberg, ...

, graduating with degrees in Slavic studies and German as a second language. In 2006, Stanišić released his debut novel, published in English as ''How the Soldier Repairs the Gramophone''. The book won multiple awards both in Germany and abroad and has been translated into 31 languages as of 2019. The English translation by

Anthea Bell Anthea Bell (10 May 1936 – 18 October 2018) was an English translator of literary works, including children's literature, from French, German and Danish. These include '' The Castle'' by Franz Kafka, '' Austerlitz'' by W. G. Sebald, the ''In ...

was awarded the

Oxford-Weidenfeld Translation Prize Oxford-Weidenfeld Translation Prize is an annual literary prize for any book-length translation into English from any other living European language. The first prize was awarded in 1999. The prize is funded by and named in honour of Lord Weidenfe ...

. It was also adapted for the stage by the Stadtschauspielhaus Graz, where Stanišić was the city's writer-in-residence in 2006–2007. In 2019 he won the German Book Prize for his novel ''Herkunft'' (English title: ''Where You Come From''). In his acceptance speech Stanišić expressed his discontent with the decision of the

Nobel Committee A Nobel Committee is a working body responsible for most of the work involved in selecting Nobel Prize laureates. There are five Nobel Committees, one for each Nobel Prize. Four of these committees (for prizes in physics, chemistry, physiolo ...

to award the 2019 Literature Nobel Prize to the Austrian author

Peter Handke Peter Handke (; born 6 December 1942) is an Austrian novelist, playwright, translator, poet, film director, and screenwriter. He was awarded the 2019 Nobel Prize in Literature "for an influential work that with linguistic ingenuity has explored t ...

. Stanišić criticized Handke for his support of Slobodan Milošević, saying, "I had the fortune to escape that which Peter Handke does not describe in his texts."

Bibliography

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English translation

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Awards and honors

* 2013

Alfred Döblin Prize The Alfred Döblin Prize (german: Alfred-Döblin-Preis) is a German literary award. Named after Alfred Döblin, it was endowed by Günter Grass in 1979. The prize is awarded every two years jointly by the Academy of Arts, Berlin and the Literary C ...

* 2019 German Book Prize for ''Herkunft'' (''Where you come from'') * 2021

Schiller Prize of the City of Marbach The Schiller Prize of the City of Marbach, endowed with 10,000 euros, is awarded every two years on 10 November, Friedrich Schiller's birthday, to personalities who are committed to the poet's tradition of thought in their life or work. The prize w ...

References

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Stanisic, Sasa 1978 births Living people People from Višegrad Bosnia and Herzegovina refugees Bosnia and Herzegovina expatriates in Germany Bosnia and Herzegovina writers German male writers Yugoslav Wars refugees International Writing Program alumni