Günter Kunert

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Günter Kunert (born March 6, 1929 in Berlin) is a German writer who left the German Democratic Republic (East Germany) to live in the Federal Republic of Germany (West Germany).

After attending elementary school, it was not possible for Kunert - due to the National Socialist race laws - to continue his high school education. After World War II ended, Kunert studied in East Berlin, but abandoned his studies.

He joined main political party of East Germany, the Socialist Unity Party (SED) in 1948. He signed a petition in 1976 against the deprivation of citizenship of Wolf Biermann and subsequently lost his SED membership. Kunert was able to leave the GDR in 1979 with a visa. He and his wife, Marianne, established themselves near Itzehoe in northern Germany, where he still lives today.

Kunert is considered to be one of the most versatile and most important contemporary writers. Beside lyric poetry, he has written short stories, essays, autobiographical works, aphorisms, satires, fairy tales, science fiction, radio plays, speeches, travel writing, film scripts, a novel, and a drama. Kunert is also a painter and graphic artist.

He takes a critical attitude in his works towards topics such as the belief in progress and national socialism. Kunert is a primary opponent of the new German spelling reform, and serves as a member in the Association for German Orthography and Language Care. He is also active in the P.E.N. Club of German language authors.