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

Life

Günter de Bruyn was born in

Berlin Berlin is Capital of Germany, the capital and largest city of Germany, both by area and List of cities in Germany by population, by population. Its more than 3.85 million inhabitants make it the European Union's List of cities in the European U ...

in November 1926; his father Carl was a

Catholic The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the List of Christian denominations by number of members, largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics Catholic Church by country, worldwide . It is am ...

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 l ...

. Günter served as a Luftwaffenhelfer 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 World War II by country, vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great power ...

. 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 ...

; 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 state in Germany. Its capital city is Wiesbaden, and the largest urban area is Frankfurt. Two other major historic cities are Da ...

. 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 in

Brandenburg Brandenburg (; nds, Brannenborg; dsb, Bramborska ) is a 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 area of 29,480 square ...

. 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 Soviet sector of Berlin, established in 1945. The American, British, and French sectors were known as West Berlin. From 13 August 1961 u ...

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 of

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
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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, travelogue, etc.) or fictional (fairy tale, fable, legend, thriller Thriller may r ...

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 ...

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 ...

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 ...

* 1981 Lion-Feuchtwanger-Preis * 1989 Thomas-Mann-Preis * 1990 Heinrich-Böll-Preis of the City of

Cologne Cologne ( ; german: Köln ; ksh, Kölle ) is the largest city of the German western state of North Rhine-Westphalia (NRW) and the fourth-most populous city of Germany with 1.1 million inhabitants in the city proper and 3.6 millio ...

* 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 ho ...

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 research university located in Freiburg im Breisgau, Baden-Württe ...

* 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 t ...

(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 (FRG),, is a country in Central Europe. It is the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany lies between the Baltic and North Sea to the north and the Alps to the sou ...

* 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 Sa ...

* 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 ...

* 1997 Jean-Paul Prize * 1999 Honorary degree of the

Humboldt University of Berlin The Humboldt University of Berlin (german: link=no, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, abbreviated HU Berlin) is a public university, public research university in the central borough of Mitte in Berlin, Germany. The university was established ...

* 1999 Fontane Prize of the City of Neuruppin * 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 * 2005 Order of Merit of Brandenburg * 2006 Jacob Grimm German Language Prize * 2007 Gleim Literary Prize * 2007 Hanns Martin Schleyer Prize * 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 chil ...

, 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 mounta ...

: ''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 h ...

: ''Ritter und Geister'', Berlin 1980 (Märkischer Dichtergarten) * Friedrich Wilhelm August Schmidt: ''Einfalt und Natur'', Berlin 1981 (Märkischer Dichtergarten) * Christoph Friedrich Nicolai: ''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 B ...

: ''Die männliche Mutter und andere Liebes-,Lebens-, Spott- und Schauergeschichten'', Berlin 1983 (Märkischer Dichtergarten) * Rahel Levin: ''Rahels erste Liebe'', Berlin 1985 (Märkischer Dichtergarten) * Ernst Theodor Amadeus Hoffmann: ''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 tod ...

: ''Die schönsten Wanderungen durch die Mark Brandenburg'', Berlin 1988 (Märkischer Dichtergarten) * Friedrich August Ludwig von der Marwitz: ''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 university, public research university in Berlin, Germany. It is consistently ranked among Germany's best universities, with particular strengths in poli ...

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