Arno Surminski (born 20 August 1934 in
Jäglack,
East Prussia
East Prussia ; german: Ostpreißen, label=Low Prussian; pl, Prusy Wschodnie; lt, Rytų Prūsija was a province of the Kingdom of Prussia from 1773 to 1829 and again from 1878 (with the Kingdom itself being part of the German Empire from 187 ...
) is a
German writer, living in
Hamburg, a father of three and a grandfather of 8.
After growing up in East Prussia, his parents were deported to the
Soviet Union, while he was
expelled to
Schleswig-Holstein. Having finished his school education there, he was apprenticed to a
lawyer
A lawyer is a person who practices law. The role of a lawyer varies greatly across different legal jurisdictions. A lawyer can be classified as an advocate, attorney, barrister, canon lawyer, civil law notary, counsel, counselor, solic ...
from 1950-1953.
He lived in
Canada from 1957 to 1960, but then came back to Germany, where he worked for an insurance company from 1962 until 1972.
Since 1972, apart from writing, he has been working as a
journalist, specialising in
economy and
insurance. His fame is mainly due to his novels, the principal themes of which are his recollections of a happy childhood and the fate of the deportees; he has no interest however in revenge, but only wants to preserve his childhood memories. Several of his books were used for TV productions.
Since 2001, he has been working as an
ombudsman
An ombudsman (, also ,), ombud, ombuds, ombudswoman, ombudsperson or public advocate is an official who is usually appointed by the government or by parliament (usually with a significant degree of independence) to investigate complaints and at ...
in the field of health insurance.
Books by Surminski
* Jokehnen oder Wie lange fährt man von Ostpreußen nach Deutschland?
* Aus dem Nest gefallen
* Kudenow oder An fremden Wassern weinen
* Fremdes Land oder Als die Freiheit noch zu haben war
* Wie Königsberg im Winter
* Polninken oder Eine deutsche Liebe
* Grunowen oder das vergangene Leben
* Gewitter im Januar
* Malojawind. Eine Liebesgeschichte
* Aus dem Leben eines Buchhändlers
* Das dunkle Ende des Regenbogens
* Damals in Poggenwalde
* Kein schöner Land
* Besuch aus Stralsund
* Sommer 44 oder Wie lange fährt man von Deutschland nach Ostpreußen?
* Die masurischen Könige
* Eine gewisse Karriere
* Die Kinder von Moorhusen
* Der Winter der Tiere
* Vaterland ohne Väter
* Gruschelke und Engelmanke
* Die Vogelwelt von Auschwitz,
* Das alte Ostpreussen
Awards
*1978
Andreas Gryphius Prize
*1982 Kulturpreis der Landsmannschaft Ostpreußen für Literatur
*1993 Hamburger Bürgerpreis
*2001 Lessing-Ring zusammen mit dem ''Kulturpreis der deutschen Freimaurer''
*2004 Friedrich-Schiedel-Literaturpreis der Stadt Bad Wurzach; Biermann-Ratjen-Medaille der Freien und Hansestadt Hamburg
*2008
Hannelore Greve Literature Prize
The Hannelore Greve Literature Prize honors outstanding achievements in the field of German-language literature. The Hamburg Authors' Association has been awarding the Hannelore Greve Literature Prize every two years since 2004, alternating annuall ...
External links
*
*
arno-surminski.de
1934 births
Living people
People from East Prussia
German male writers
Recipients of the Cross of the Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany
People from Kętrzyn County
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