Guest of the ilb 2004, 2007
Wolf Biermann
was born in Hamburg in 1936. His father, imprisoned for his communist
convictions, was killed in Auschwitz in 1943 as a Jew. In 1953 Biermann
moved to the GDR and studied at the Humboldt University. From 1957 to
1959 he worked as assistant director at Brecht’s theatre, the »Berliner
Ensemble«. He was heavily influenced by his mentor, the composer Hanns
Eisler, and began writing his first songs and poems in 1960.
In November 1965 a complete ban
on his performances and publications was imposed in the GDR. Wolf
Biermann became the most radical critic of the Party dictatorship in
the GDR. He continued to publish in West Germany, however.
In 1976, against all legal
norms, Wolf Biermann was forbidden reentry into the GDR after giving a
concert in West Germany. The expatriation of the dissident singer
triggered widespread, unprecedented protests in the East and West and,
for many, marked the beginning of the end of the SED regime.
Wolf Biermann returned to his
native Hamburg. Since then he has toured regularly and much of his
writing has enjoyed publications in many countries around the world.
In November 1989, against the
wishes of the authorities, East German civil rights activists insisted
on Biermann giving a concert in Leipzig. In 1990 he was among the
occupiers of the East Berlin headquarters of the secret police on
Normannenstraße and helped prevent further destruction of Stasi files.
Ever since the collapse of the
GDR Biermann has published, parallel to his continuing activity as a
poet, a series of political-literary essays with which he effectively
intervenes in current political debates.
He regularly tours in Germany
and abroad. In early 2006 Wolf Biermann switched to the Hamburg
publishing house Hoffmann und Campe who published in autumn 2006 a new
volume of his poems, »Heimat. Neue Gedichte« (t: Native country. New
poems) as well as an audio book, under the same title.
Wolf Biermann has been awarded
literature prizes attached to names like Theodor Fontane, Jacques
Offenbach, Friedrich Hölderlin, Eduard Mörike, Georg Büchner, Heinrich
Heine and Joachim Ringelnatz. In March 2007 Wolf Biermann was named
honorary citizen of the city of Berlin.
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