Günter de Bruyn (; 1 November 1926 – 4 October 2020) was a German author.

Life

Günter de Bruyn was born in

Berlin Berlin ( ; ) is the Capital of Germany, capital and largest city of Germany, by both area and List of cities in Germany by population, population. With 3.7 million inhabitants, it has the List of cities in the European Union by population withi ...

in November 1926; his father Carl was a

Catholic The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the List of Christian denominations by number of members, largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics Catholic Church by country, worldwid ...

from

Bavaria Bavaria, officially the Free State of Bavaria, is a States of Germany, state in the southeast of Germany. With an area of , it is the list of German states by area, largest German state by land area, comprising approximately 1/5 of the total l ...

. Günter served as a

Luftwaffenhelfer A ''Luftwaffenhelfer'', also commonly known as a ''Flakhelfer'', was any member of the auxiliary staff of the German ''Luftwaffe'' during World War II. Such terms often implied students conscripted as child soldiers. Establishment ''Luftw ...

and soldier in

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

. Wounded, he was then held in custody by the United States as a

prisoner of war A prisoner of war (POW) is a person held captive by a belligerent power during or immediately after an armed conflict. The earliest recorded usage of the phrase "prisoner of war" dates back to 1610. Belligerents hold prisoners of war for a ...

; after his release he found a job as a farm worker in

Hesse Hesse or Hessen ( ), officially the State of Hesse (), is a States of Germany, state in Germany. Its capital city is Wiesbaden, and the largest urban area is Frankfurt, which is also the country's principal financial centre. Two other major hist ...

. After his return to Berlin, he trained as a "new teacher" in

Potsdam Potsdam () is the capital and largest city of the Germany, German States of Germany, state of Brandenburg. It is part of the Berlin/Brandenburg Metropolitan Region. Potsdam sits on the Havel, River Havel, a tributary of the Elbe, downstream of B ...

. Until 1949 he worked as a teacher in a village near

Rathenow Rathenow () is a town in the district of Havelland (district), Havelland in Brandenburg, in eastern Germany, with a population of 24,063 (2020). Overview The Protestant church of St. Marien Andreas, originally a basilica, and transformed to the Go ...

Brandenburg Brandenburg, officially the State of Brandenburg, is a States of Germany, state in northeastern Germany. Brandenburg borders Poland and the states of Berlin, Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, Lower Saxony, Saxony-Anhalt, and Saxony. It is the List of Ger ...

. Subsequently, he trained as a

librarian A librarian is a person who professionally works managing information. Librarians' common activities include providing access to information, conducting research, creating and managing information systems, creating, leading, and evaluating educat ...

and worked at the ''Zentralinstitut für Bibliothekswesen'' (Central Institute for Library Knowledge) in

East Berlin East Berlin (; ) was the partially recognised capital city, capital of East Germany (GDR) from 1949 to 1990. From 1945, it was the Allied occupation zones in Germany, Soviet occupation sector of Berlin. The American, British, and French se ...

from 1953 to 1961. Since 1961 de Bruyn has lived as a freelance writer. From 1965 to 1978, he was a member of the ''Zentralvorstandes des Schriftstellerverbandes der DDR'' (Central Executive Committee of the Literary Association of East Germany); he was a member of the presidency of the PEN Centre of

East Germany East Germany, officially known as the German Democratic Republic (GDR), was a country in Central Europe from Foundation of East Germany, its formation on 7 October 1949 until German reunification, its reunification with West Germany (FRG) on ...

from 1974 to 1982. In October 1989, Günter de Bruyn declined to accept the

National Prize of East Germany The National Prize of the German Democratic Republic (East Germany) () was an award of the German Democratic Republic (GDR) given out in three different classes for scientific, artistic, and other meritorious achievement. With scientific achievem ...

. De Bruyn later lived in the village of Görsdorf (part of the municipality of Tauche) in

, as well as in Berlin. He was a member of the German PEN Centre. He died in October 2020 at the age of 93.Günther de Bruyn ist tot
/ref>

Literary activity

Günter de Bruyn's works range from the frequently autobiographically colored Realist

novel A novel is an extended work of narrative fiction usually written in prose and published as a book. The word derives from the for 'new', 'news', or 'short story (of something new)', itself from the , a singular noun use of the neuter plural of ...

s and

narrative A narrative, story, or tale is any account of a series of related events or experiences, whether non-fictional (memoir, biography, news report, documentary, travel literature, travelogue, etc.) or fictional (fairy tale, fable, legend, thriller ...

s which explain critiques of the private lives of the artists in East Germany to

essay An essay ( ) is, generally, a piece of writing that gives the author's own argument, but the definition is vague, overlapping with those of a Letter (message), letter, a term paper, paper, an article (publishing), article, a pamphlet, and a s ...

s on literary science and historical themes, particularly

Prussia Prussia (; ; Old Prussian: ''Prūsija'') was a Germans, German state centred on the North European Plain that originated from the 1525 secularization of the Prussia (region), Prussian part of the State of the Teutonic Order. For centuries, ...

n history. He edited a series of works from 18th and 19th century authors in Berlin and Brandenburg, which appear under the title ''Märkischer Dichtergarten''. He had great success in the 1990s with the two volumes of his autobiography, ''Zwischenbilanz'' and ''Vierzig Jahre''.

Awards

* 1964

Heinrich Mann Prize The Heinrich Mann Prize () is an essay prize that has been awarded since 1953, first by the East German Academy of Arts, then by the Academy of Arts, Berlin. The prize, which comes with a €10,000 purse, is given annually on 27 March, Heinrich ...

* 1981 Lion-Feuchtwanger-Preis * 1989

Thomas-Mann-Preis Thomas Mann Prize (''German'': Thomas-Mann-Preis) is a literary prize of Germany. In full the title is "Thomas Mann Prize of the city of Lübeck and the Bavarian Academy of Fine Arts". It is given in alternate years in Lübeck and in Munich. The ...

* 1990

Heinrich-Böll-Preis The Heinrich-Böll-Preis (Heinrich Böll Prize for Literature) is a literary prize of Germany, awarded by the City of Cologne in memory of Nobel Prize winner Heinrich Böll. The prize money is €30,000. The prize is awarded "for outstanding ach ...

of the City of

Cologne Cologne ( ; ; ) is the largest city of the States of Germany, German state of North Rhine-Westphalia and the List of cities in Germany by population, fourth-most populous city of Germany with nearly 1.1 million inhabitants in the city pr ...

* 1991

Honorary degree An honorary degree is an academic degree for which a university (or other degree-awarding institution) has waived all of the usual requirements. It is also known by the Latin phrases ''honoris causa'' ("for the sake of the honour") or '' ad hon ...

of the

University of Freiburg The University of Freiburg (colloquially ), officially the Albert Ludwig University of Freiburg (), is a public university, public research university located in Freiburg im Breisgau, Baden-Württemberg, Germany. The university was founded in 1 ...

* 1993 Großer Literaturpreis der Bayerischen Akademie der Schönen Künste (Greater Literary Prize of the Bavarian Academy of Fine Arts) * 1994

Bundesverdienstkreuz The Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany (, or , BVO) is the highest federal decoration of the Federal Republic of Germany. It may be awarded for any field of endeavor. It was created by the first President of the Federal Republic ...

Germany Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It lies between the Baltic Sea and the North Sea to the north and the Alps to the south. Its sixteen States of Germany, constituent states have a total popu ...

* 1996 Literary Prize of the

Konrad Adenauer Foundation The Konrad Adenauer Foundation ('' German: Konrad-Adenauer-Stiftung e.V.; Abbreviation: KAS'') is a German political party foundation associated with but independent of the centre-right Christian Democratic Union (CDU). The foundation's head ...

* 1996 Literary Prize of the

state State most commonly refers to: * State (polity), a centralized political organization that regulates law and society within a territory **Sovereign state, a sovereign polity in international law, commonly referred to as a country **Nation state, a ...

* 1997 Jean-Paul Prize * 1999 Honorary degree of the

Humboldt University of Berlin The Humboldt University of Berlin (, abbreviated HU Berlin) is a public research university in the central borough of Mitte in Berlin, Germany. The university was established by Frederick William III on the initiative of Wilhelm von Humbol ...

* 1999 Fontane Prize of the City of Neuruppin * 2000 Ernst-Robert-Curtius-Preis for essays; Friedrich-Schiedel-Literaturpreis * 2005 Order of Merit of Brandenburg * 2006 Jacob Grimm German Language Prize * 2007 Gleim Literary Prize * 2007 Hanns Martin Schleyer Prize * 2008 Hoffmann von Fallersleben Prize * 2009 Max-Herrmann-Preis * 2011

Johann-Heinrich-Merck-Preis Johann-Heinrich-Merck-Preis is a literary prize of Hesse awarded by the Deutsche Akademie für Sprache und Dichtung since 1964. Since 2013 the prize winner receives €20,000. The award is donated by the Merck Group in memory of the German author ...

Works

* ''Über die Arbeit in Freihandbibliotheken'', Berlin 1957 * ''Hochzeit in Weltzow'', Halle (Saale) 1960 * ''Wiedersehen an der Spree'', Halle (Saale) 1960 * ''Einführung in die Systematik für allgemeinbildende Bibliotheken'', Berlin 1961 * ''Der Hohlweg'', Halle (Saale) 1963 * ''Ein schwarzer, abgrundtiefer See'', Halle (Saale) 1963 * ''Maskeraden'', Halle (Saale) 1966 * ''Buridans Esel'', Halle (Saale) 1968 (first published in 1963 in «Sinn und Form») * ''Preisverleihung'', Halle (Saale) 1972 * ''Tristan und Isolde'', Berlin 1975 * ''Das Leben des Jean Paul Friedrich Richter'', Halle (Saale) 1975 * ''Märkische Forschungen'', Halle (Saale) et al. 1978 * ''Im Querschnitt'', Halle (Saale) et al. 1979 * ''Babylon'', Leipzig 1980 * ''Neue Herrlichkeit'', Frankfurt am Main 1984 * ''Lesefreuden'', Frankfurt am Main 1986 * ''Frauendienst'', Halle (Saale) et al. 1986 * ''Brandenburg'', München et al. 1991 (with Hauke Dressler) * ''Im Spreeland'', Freiburg im Breisgau 1991 (with Erhard Pansegrau) * ''Jubelschreie, Trauergesänge'', Frankfurt am Main 1991 * ''Zwischenbilanz'', Frankfurt am Main 1992 * ''Mein Brandenburg'', Frankfurt am Main 1993 (with Barbara Klemm) * ''Das erzählte Ich'', Frankfurt am Main 1995 * ''Was ich noch schreiben will'', Göttingen 1995 (with Ingo Hermann) * ''Irritation und Verstehen'', Stuttgart 1995 * ''Vierzig Jahre'', Frankfurt am Main 1996 * ''Altersbetrachtungen über den alten Fontane'', Berlin 1999 * ''Die Finckensteins'', Berlin 1999 * ''Deutsche Zustände'', Frankfurt am Main 1999 * ''Preußens Luise. Vom Entstehen und Vergehen einer Legende'', Berlin 2001 (on the legacy of

Louise of Mecklenburg-Strelitz Louise of Mecklenburg-Strelitz (Luise Auguste Wilhelmine Amalie; 10 March 1776 – 19 July 1810) was Queen of Prussia as the wife of King Frederick William III. The couple's happy, though short-lived, marriage produced nine children, inclu ...

, Queen consort of Prussia) * ''Unzeitgemäßes'', Frankfurt am Main 2001 * ''Unter den Linden'', Berlin 2003 * ''Abseits. Liebeserklärungen an eine Landschaft. Mit Fotos von Rüdiger Südhoff'', Frankfurt am Main 2005 * ''Als Poesie gut. Schicksale aus Berlins Kunstepoche 1786 bis 1807''. Frankfurt am Main 2006 * ''Die Zeit der schweren Not: Schicksale aus dem Kulturleben Berlins 1807 bis 1815'', S. Fischer, Frankfurt am Main 2010, . E-Book * ''Gräfin Elisa. Eine Lebens- und Liebesgeschichte'', S. Fischer, Frankfurt am Main 2012, . E-Book * ''Der neunzigste Geburtstag. Ein ländliches Idyll'', S. Fischer, Frankfurt am Main 2018,

Editorial work

* ''Das Lästerkabinett'', Leipzig 1970 *

Jean Paul Jean Paul (; born Johann Paul Friedrich Richter, 21 March 1763 – 14 November 1825) was a German Romanticism, German Romantic writer, best known for his humorous novels and stories. Life and work Jean Paul was born at Wunsiedel, in the Ficht ...

: ''Leben des Quintus Fixlein'', Berlin 1976 * Theodor Gottlieb von Hippel: ''Über die Ehe'', Berlin 1979 *

Friedrich de la Motte Fouqué Friedrich Heinrich Karl de la Motte, Baron Fouqué (; 12 February 1777 – 23 January 1843) was a German writer of the Romantic style. Biography He was born at Brandenburg an der Havel, of a family of French Huguenot origin, as evidenced in h ...

: ''Ritter und Geister'', Berlin 1980 (Märkischer Dichtergarten) * Friedrich Wilhelm August Schmidt: ''Einfalt und Natur'', Berlin 1981 (Märkischer Dichtergarten) *

Christoph Friedrich Nicolai Christoph Friedrich Nicolai (18 March 1733 – 11 January 1811) was a German writer, bookseller, critic, and regional historian, who authored satirical novels and travelogues. Life Nicolai was born in Berlin, where his father, (d. 175 ...

: ''Vertraute Briefe von Adelheid B. an ihre Freundin Julie S. Freuden des jungen Werthers'', Berlin 1982 (Märkischer Dichtergarten) *

Ludwig Tieck Johann Ludwig Tieck (; ; 31 May 177328 April 1853) was a German poet, fiction writer, translator, and critic. He was one of the founding fathers of the Romanticism, Romantic movement in the late 18th and early 19th centuries. Early life Tieck w ...

: ''Die männliche Mutter und andere Liebes-,Lebens-, Spott- und Schauergeschichten'', Berlin 1983 (Märkischer Dichtergarten) *

Rahel Levin Rahel Antonie Friederike Varnhagen () (née Levin, later Robert; 19 May 1771 – 7 March 1833) was a German writer who hosted one of the most prominent salons in Europe during the late-18th and early-19th centuries. She is the subject of a celebr ...

: ''Rahels erste Liebe'', Berlin 1985 (Märkischer Dichtergarten) * Ernst Theodor Amadeus Hoffmann: ''Gespenster in der Friedrichstadt'', Berlin 1986 (Märkischer Dichtergarten) *

Theodor Fontane Theodor Fontane (; 30 December 1819 – 20 September 1898) was a German novelist and poet, regarded by many as the most important 19th-century German-language Literary realism, realist author. He published the first of his novels, for which he i ...

: ''Die schönsten Wanderungen durch die Mark Brandenburg'', Berlin 1988 (Märkischer Dichtergarten) * Friedrich August Ludwig von der Marwitz: ''Nachrichten aus meinem Leben'', Berlin 1989 (Märkischer Dichtergarten) * ''Friedrichshagen und seine Dichter. Arkadien in Preußen'', Berlin 1992 (Märkischer Dichtergarten) * Moritz Heimann: ''Die Mark, wo sie am märkischsten ist'', Berlin 1996 (Märkischer Dichtergarten)

Film adaptations

* 1978: ''Hochzeit in Weltzow'' * 1980: ', based on ''Buridans Esel'' * 1981: ''Märkische Forschungen''

External links

Literature by and on Günter de Bruyn
in the catalog of the

German National Library The German National Library (DNB; ) is the central archival library and national bibliographic centre for the Federal Republic of Germany. It is one of the largest libraries in the world. Its task is to collect, permanently archive, comprehens ...

Commentated Link Collection
by the University Library at the

Free University of Berlin The Free University of Berlin (, often abbreviated as FU Berlin or simply FU) is a public university, public research university in Berlin, Germany. It was founded in West Berlin in 1948 with American support during the early Cold War period a ...

Märkische Musenhöfe: Günter de Bruyn
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Bruyn, Gunter de 1926 births 2020 deaths Commanders Crosses of the Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany East German writers German male writers Luftwaffenhelfer Heinrich Mann Prize winners Members of the Academy of Arts, Berlin Writers from Berlin German prisoners of war in World War II held by the United States German military personnel of World War II