Jutta Richter (born 30 September 1955 in

Burgsteinfurt Steinfurt (; ) is a city in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. It is the capital of the Steinfurt (district), district of Steinfurt. From –1806, it was the capital of the County of Steinfurt. Geography Steinfurt is situated north-west of Münst ...

Westfalen Westphalia (; ; ) is a region of northwestern Germany and one of the three historic parts of the state of North Rhine-Westphalia. It has an area of and 7.9 million inhabitants. The territory of the region is almost identical with the h ...

Germany Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It lies between the Baltic Sea and the North Sea to the north and the Alps to the south. Its sixteen States of Germany, constituent states have a total popu ...

) is a German

author In legal discourse, an author is the creator of an original work that has been published, whether that work exists in written, graphic, visual, or recorded form. The act of creating such a work is referred to as authorship. Therefore, a sculpt ...

of children's and youth literature. Richter spent her youth in the

Ruhr The Ruhr ( ; , also ''Ruhrpott'' ), also referred to as the Ruhr Area, sometimes Ruhr District, Ruhr Region, or Ruhr Valley, is a polycentric urban area in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. With a population density of 1,160/km2 and a populati ...

and

Sauerland The Sauerland () is a rural, hilly area spreading across most of the south-eastern part of the States of Germany, German federal state of North Rhine-Westphalia, in parts heavily forested and, apart from the major valleys, sparsely inhabited. ...

and at the age of 15 she spent a year in

Detroit Detroit ( , ) is the List of municipalities in Michigan, most populous city in the U.S. state of Michigan. It is situated on the bank of the Detroit River across from Windsor, Ontario. It had a population of 639,111 at the 2020 United State ...

(USA). There she wrote her first book, so as not to forget her native language, and published the book whilst still a schoolgirl. After studying

Theology Theology is the study of religious belief from a Religion, religious perspective, with a focus on the nature of divinity. It is taught as an Discipline (academia), academic discipline, typically in universities and seminaries. It occupies itse ...

German German(s) may refer to: * Germany, the country of the Germans and German things **Germania (Roman era) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizenship in Germany, see also Ge ...

and

Communication Communication is commonly defined as the transmission of information. Its precise definition is disputed and there are disagreements about whether Intention, unintentional or failed transmissions are included and whether communication not onl ...

Münster Münster (; ) is an independent city#Germany, independent city (''Kreisfreie Stadt'') in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. It is in the northern part of the state and is considered to be the cultural centre of the Westphalia region. It is also a ...

she has worked since 1978 as a

freelance writer ''Freelance'' (sometimes spelled ''free-lance'' or ''free lance''), ''freelancer'', or ''freelance worker'', are terms commonly used for a person who is self-employed and not necessarily committed to a particular employer long-term. Freelance w ...

at Schloss Westerwinkel in

Ascheberg Ascheberg () is a municipality in the district of Coesfeld in the state of North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. The neighbouring cities, towns and municipalities of Ascheberg are (clockwise, starting in the North) the city Münster, the town Drenst ...

and in

Lucca Città di Lucca ( ; ) is a city and ''comune'' in Tuscany, Central Italy, on the Serchio River, in a fertile plain near the Ligurian Sea. The city has a population of about 89,000, while its Province of Lucca, province has a population of 383,9 ...

(

Tuscany Tuscany ( ; ) is a Regions of Italy, region in central Italy with an area of about and a population of 3,660,834 inhabitants as of 2025. The capital city is Florence. Tuscany is known for its landscapes, history, artistic legacy, and its in ...

). Jutta Richter married the German author Ralf Thenior.

Awards

* 2000 "Rattenfänger-Literaturpreis" for ''Der Hund mit dem gelben Herzen oder Die Geschichte vom Gegenteil'' * 2000 "LUCHS des Jahres" for ''Der Tag, als ich lernte die Spinnen zu zähmen'' * 2001 "Internationaler

UNESCO The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO ) is a List of specialized agencies of the United Nations, specialized agency of the United Nations (UN) with the aim of promoting world peace and International secur ...

-Preis"

Nomination Nomination is part of the process of selecting a candidate for either election to a public office, or the bestowing of an honor or award. A collection of nominees narrowed from the full list of candidates is a short list. Political office In ...

for ''Der Hund mit dem gelben Herzen'' * 2001

Deutscher Jugendliteraturpreis The (German Youth Literature Award) is an annual award established in 1956 by the Federal Ministry of Family Affairs, Senior Citizens, Women and Youth to recognise outstanding works of children's and young adult literature. It is Germany's only ...

for ''Der Tag, als ich lernte die Spinnen zu zähmen'' * 2004 "LUCHS" book of the month August for ''Hechtsommer'' * 2004 "LesePeter" Septembre for ''Hechtsommer'' * 2005 "Katholischer Kinder- und Jugendbuchpreis" for ''Hechtsommer'' * 2006

Deutschlandfunk Deutschlandfunk (DLF, ''Broadcast Germany'') is a public-broadcasting radio station in Germany, concentrating on news and current affairs. It is one of the four national radio channels produced by Deutschlandradio. History Broadcasting in t ...

– "Die besten 7 Bücher für junge Leser" in November 2006 for ''Die Katze oder Wie ich die Ewigkeit verloren habe'' * 2007 "Premio Andersen" (Italian

children's literature Children's literature or juvenile literature includes stories, books, magazines, and poems that are created for children. In addition to conventional literary genres, modern children's literature is classified by the intended age of the reade ...

award An award, sometimes called a distinction, is given to a recipient as a token of recognition of excellence in a certain field. When the token is a medal, ribbon or other item designed for wearing, it is known as a decoration. An award may be d ...

) for ''Die Katze oder Wie ich die Ewigkeit verloren habe'' * 2008

Mildred L. Batchelder Award The Mildred L. Batchelder Award, or Batchelder Award, is an American Library Association literary award that annually recognizes the publisher of the year's "most outstanding" children's book translated into English-language, English and published ...

for ''Die Katze oder Wie ich die Ewigkeit verloren habe''

Bibliography

* ''Popcorn und Sternenbanner.'' Diary of a student exchange, 1975 * ''Die Puppenmütter'', 1980 * ''Das Geraniengefängnis'', 1980 * ''Die heilste Welt der Welt. Ein Jahr im Leben der Familie Feuerstein'', 1984 * ''Gib mir einen Kuß, Frau Nuß!'', 1984 * ''Was machen wir jetzt? Oder die seltsamen Abenteuer der gelben Kanalratte und des karierten Meerschweinchens'', 1985 * ''Himmel, Hölle, Fegefeuer. Versuch einer Befreiung'', 1985 * ''Das Tontilon'', 1986 * ''Und jeden Samstag baden. Geschichten von früher'', 1987 * ''Prinz Neumann oder Andere Kinder heißen wie ihr Vater'', 1987 * ''Satemin Seidenfuß. Eine Liebesgeschichte'', 1988 * ''Annabella Klimperauge. Geschichten aus dem Kinderzimmer''.

Carl Hanser Verlag The Carl Hanser Verlag was founded in 1928 by Carl Hanser in Munich and is one of the few medium-sized publishing companies in the German-speaking area still owned by the founding family. History From the very beginning, the publishing house h ...

, 1989 ** ''Annabelle la rebelle''. La Joie de lire, 2004 * ''Der Sommer schmeckt wie Himbeereis. Gedichte und Reime für Große und Kleine'', 1990 * ''Hexenwald und Zaubersocken'', 1993 * ''Der Hund mit dem gelben Herzen oder Die Geschichte vom Gegenteil'', 1998 ** ''Le chien au coeur jaune''. La Joie de lire, 2000 ** ''Il cane dal cuore giallo o la storia dei contrari''. Beisler edizione, 2003 * ''Herr Oska und das Zirr'', 1998 * ''Es lebte ein Kind auf den Bäumen'', 1999 * ''In der allerlängsten Nacht'', 1999 * ''Verlass mich nicht zur Kirschenzeit. Liebesgedichte'', 2000 * ''Der Tag, als ich lernte die Spinnen zu zähmen''. Carl Hanser Verlag, 2000 ** ''Ce jour-là j'ai apprivoisé les araignées''. La Joie de lire, 2002 ** ''Quando imparai ad addomesticare i ragni''. Salani, 2003 * ''Hinter dem Bahnhof liegt das Meer''. Carl Hanser Verlag, 2001 ** ''Derrière la gare, il y à la mer''. La Joie de lire, 2003 ** ''Tutti i sogni portano al mare''. Beisler edizione, 2004 * ''An einem großen stillen See'', 2003 ** ''Un soir, près d'un lac tranquille''. La Joie de lire, 2004 * ''Hechtsommer'', Carl Hanser Verlag, 2004 ** ''L'été du brochet''. La Joie de lire, 2006 ** ''The summer of the pike''. Milkweed Editions, 2006 ** ''Un'estate di quelle che non finiscono mai''. Salani, 2006 * ''Die Katze oder Wie ich die Ewigkeit verloren habe'', 2006 ** ''Il gatto Venerdì''. Beisler edizione, 2006 ** ''The Cat Or How I lost eternity''. Milkweed Editions, 2007 * ''Sommer und Bär. Eine Liebesgeschichte'', 2006 * ''All das wünsch ich dir'', 2007 * ''Der Anfang von allem''. Carl Hanser Verlag, 2008

Literature

* Bruno Blume: ''Erinnerungen an eine verlorene Kindheit. Versuch einer umfassenden Rezension.'' In: Bulletin Jugend und Literatur.

Geesthacht Geesthacht () is the largest city in the Lauenburg (district), District of the Duchy of Lauenburg (Herzogtum Lauenburg) in Schleswig-Holstein in Northern Germany, south-east of Hamburg on the right bank of the Elbe, River Elbe. History A church ...

, 32, H. 2, 2001, p. 21 *

Christoph Meckel Christoph Meckel (12 June 1935 – 29 January 2020) was a German author and graphic artist. He received awards for his works which connect illustrations with the written text, sometimes texts by others. Life Born in Berlin, Meckel spent his you ...

: ''Plagiat oder Lärm um nichts? Die Debatte um Jutta Richters "Hinter dem Bahnhof liegt das Meer". Eine Dokumentation.'' In: Bulletin Jugend und Literatur. Geesthacht, 33, H. 3, 2002. p. 7-9, 29-30. * Juliane Schier: ''Jutta Richter. Kinder- und Jugendbuchautorin. Leben und Werke.'' Dortmund: Univ. Hausarb. 1999.

External links

*
Official website by Jutta Richter

{{DEFAULTSORT:Richter, Jutta German children's writers German women children's writers 20th-century German women writers 21st-century German women writers 1955 births Living people