Maxim Biller

Maxim Biller (born 1960) is a German writer.

Born in Prague to Russian parents, he emigrated with his parents and sister to Germany in 1970, when he was ten years old. After living for a long time in Hamburg and Munich, he now lives in Berlin, frequently writing about issues relating to Jews and Germans.^[1]

In 2003 his novel Esra excited attention when its sale was prohibited shortly after its release. Two persons had a provisional order obtained, because they claimed to have seen themselves reflected in characters in the book. A German court obliged their request to take the book from circulation on these grounds.^[2][3]

His first works translated into English (by Anthea Bell) are the collection Love Today (2008), some of which appeared in The New Yorker – "The Mahogany Elephant" (July 2007), "The Maserati Years" (September 2007).

Publications

• Wenn ich einmal reich und tot bin : Erzählungen (Someday when I’m rich and dead : Narratives)
• Deutsche Zustände
• Die Tempojahre
• Aufbruch nach Deutschland : sechzehn Foto-Essays
• Land der Väter und Verräter : Erzählungen
• Harlem Holocaust
• Die Tochter
• Kühltransport : ein Drama
• Deutschbuch
• Esra
• Der perfekte Roman : das Maxim-Biller-Lesebuch

Awards

• 1994 Toucan Prize from the city of Munich
• 1996 Prize of the European Feature Pages (?)
• 1996 Otto Stoessl Prize
• 1997 Else Lasker-Schüler Prize
• 1999 Theodor Wolff Prize

References