Arno Surminski (born 20 August 1934 in Jäglack,

East Prussia East Prussia was a Provinces of Prussia, province of the Kingdom of Prussia from 1772 to 1829 and again from 1878 (with the Kingdom itself being part of the German Empire from 1871); following World War I it formed part of the Weimar Republic's ...

) is a German writer, living in

Hamburg Hamburg (, ; ), officially the Free and Hanseatic City of Hamburg,. is the List of cities in Germany by population, second-largest city in Germany after Berlin and List of cities in the European Union by population within city limits, 7th-lar ...

, a father of three and a grandfather of 8. After growing up in East Prussia, his parents were deported to the

Soviet Union The Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR), commonly known as the Soviet Union, was a List of former transcontinental countries#Since 1700, transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 until Dissolution of the Soviet ...

, while he was expelled to

Schleswig-Holstein Schleswig-Holstein (; ; ; ; ; occasionally in English ''Sleswick-Holsatia'') is the Northern Germany, northernmost of the 16 states of Germany, comprising most of the historical Duchy of Holstein and the southern part of the former Duchy of S ...

. Having finished his school education there, he was apprenticed to a

lawyer A lawyer is a person who is qualified to offer advice about the law, draft legal documents, or represent individuals in legal matters. The exact nature of a lawyer's work varies depending on the legal jurisdiction and the legal system, as w ...

from 1950 to 1953. He lived in

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its Provinces and territories of Canada, ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, making it the world's List of coun ...

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 A journalist is a person who gathers information in the form of text, audio or pictures, processes it into a newsworthy form and disseminates it to the public. This is called journalism. Roles Journalists can work in broadcast, print, advertis ...

, specialising in

economy An economy is an area of the Production (economics), production, Distribution (economics), distribution and trade, as well as Consumption (economics), consumption of Goods (economics), goods and Service (economics), services. In general, it is ...

and

insurance Insurance is a means of protection from financial loss in which, in exchange for a fee, a party agrees to compensate another party in the event of a certain loss, damage, or injury. It is a form of risk management, primarily used to protect ...

. 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 ) is a government employee who investigates and tries to resolve complaints, usually through recommendations (binding or not) or mediation. They are usually appointed by the government or by parliament (often with a sign ...

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

External links

* *
arno-surminski.de
1934 births Living people People from Kętrzyn County Writers from East Prussia German male writers Recipients of the Cross of the Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany {{Germany-writer-stub