Iris Wolff (born 28 July 1977 as Martina Iris Wolff) is a German writer.

Life

Wolff was born in

Sibiu Sibiu ( , , , Hungarian: ''Nagyszeben'', , Transylvanian Saxon: ''Härmeschtat'' or ''Hermestatt'') is a city in central Romania, situated in the historical region of Transylvania. Located some north-west of Bucharest, the city straddles th ...

(''Hermannstadt''), a city in the

Transylvania Transylvania ( or ; ; or ; Transylvanian Saxon dialect, Transylvanian Saxon: ''Siweberjen'') is a List of historical regions of Central Europe, historical and cultural region in Central Europe, encompassing central Romania. To the east and ...

region of what was then the

Socialist Republic of Romania The Socialist Republic of Romania (, RSR) was a Marxism–Leninism, Marxist–Leninist One-party state, one-party socialist state that existed officially in Romania from 1947 to 1989 (see Revolutions of 1989). From 1947 to 1965, the state was ...

. Part of the

Transylvanian Saxon The Transylvanian Saxons (; Transylvanian Saxon: ''Siweberjer Såksen'' or simply ''Soxen'', singularly ''Sox'' or ''Soax''; Transylvanian Landler: ''Soxn'' or ''Soxisch''; ; seldom ''sași ardeleni/transilvăneni/transilvani''; ) are a people ...

community, she is the daughter of a

Lutheran Lutheranism is a major branch of Protestantism that emerged under the work of Martin Luther, the 16th-century German friar and Protestant Reformers, reformer whose efforts to reform the theology and practices of the Catholic Church launched ...

pastor, and was raised in Sibiu and in

Semlac Semlac () is a commune located in Arad County, in the western part of Romania, near the border with Hungary, is situated in the south-western part of the Arad Plateau, in the large valley of the Mureș River. Its territory occupies . It is compo ...

Arad County Arad County () is an administrative division ( județ) of Romania roughly translated into county in the western part of the country on the border with Hungary, mostly in the region of Crișana and few villages in Banat. The administrative cente ...

. In 1985, she emigrated with her family to Germany and graduated from secondary school in

Stuttgart Stuttgart (; ; Swabian German, Swabian: ; Alemannic German, Alemannic: ; Italian language, Italian: ; ) is the capital city, capital and List of cities in Baden-Württemberg by population, largest city of the States of Germany, German state of ...

. Later on, she studied German studies and literature, Religious studies as well as Graphic arts and painting at the

University of Marburg The Philipps University of Marburg () is a public research university located in Marburg, Germany. It was founded in 1527 by Philip I, Landgrave of Hesse, which makes it one of Germany's oldest universities and the oldest still operating Prote ...

. From 2003 to 2013, she worked at the

German Literature Archive The Deutsches Literaturarchiv Marbach (DLA – German Literature Archive), established in 1955, in Marbach am Neckar, is one of the most significant literary archives in the world. Its collections span literary and intellectual history from 1750 ...

in Marbach and was a lecturer in art education. From November 2013 to March 2018, she was the coordinator of the Netzwerk Kulturelle Bildung (Cultural Education Network) in Freiburg. Since 2018, she has worked as a freelance writer. Wolff lives with her family in

Freiburg im Breisgau Freiburg im Breisgau or simply Freiburg is the List of cities in Baden-Württemberg by population, fourth-largest city of the German state of Baden-Württemberg after Stuttgart, Mannheim and Karlsruhe. Its built-up area has a population of abou ...

Work

Mainly, Iris Wolff writes novels and short stories. In 2012, she published her debut novel ''Halber Stein'' (''Half a stone''), followed by ''Die Unschärfe der Welt'' (''Blurred'' iterally:''The Blurriness of the World'' in 2020. Wolff's latest novel ''Lichtungen'' (''Clearings''; 2024) is a love story told backwards about a boy and a girl named Lev and Kato who are living in a small Romanian village. After the end of the

Warsaw Pact The Warsaw Pact (WP), formally the Treaty of Friendship, Co-operation and Mutual Assistance (TFCMA), was a Collective security#Collective defense, collective defense treaty signed in Warsaw, Polish People's Republic, Poland, between the Sovi ...

, Kato's and Lev's paths diverge after Kato is impelled to leave her homeland. She subsequently travels through Europe as a street painter keeping in touch with Lev by sending him self-drawn postcards. Meanwhile, Lev is sort of left behind working in a sawmill in his home town. The turning point in their relationship occurs when Lev receives a postcard asking "When are you coming?" leading him to visit Kato and travel with her for a while. The novel sheds light on the complicated dynamics of their relationship against the backdrop of a changing Europe and Romanian history. The novel reached number 2 of the

Spiegel Spiegel is German, Yiddish, and Dutch for "mirror". More specifically, it may refer to: Publications * ''Der Spiegel'', a weekly German magazine * ''Der Spiegel'' (website), the online sibling of ''Der Spiegel'' Political * Spiegel scandal, a 1 ...

bestseller list in February 2024 and is currently on the shortlist for the

German Book Prize The German Book Prize () is awarded annually, in October, by the German Publishers and Booksellers Association () to the best new German-language novel of the year. The books, published in Germany, Austria and Switzerland, are nominated by their ...

2024.

Critical reception

Monique Charlesworth of Moth Books states that Wolff's work "has it all. Her books travel in time and across borders, they address the complexity of history using every shade of feeling – and such exciting plots." Alexandra Roesch finds that "‘Clearings’ is a beautiful work of literary fiction depicting a lifelong friendship alongside the changes wrought on Romania under Communism and after the fall of the Iron Curtain." She states that "‘Clearings’ tells a powerful story of enduring friendship. While the novel focuses firmly on a specific period in the history of Central and Eastern Europe, the themes that underpin it have continued relevance today: (national) identity, home and family, migration and what constitutes belonging." Annemarie Stoltenberg writes about the novel ''Lichtungen'': "With an extraordinary, powerful and delicate imagery, Iris Wolff tells of a childhood and youth in a dictatorship (...). Her text is a gracefully delicate, poetic act of resistance. (Mit außergewöhnlichen, starken und zarten Bildern erzählt Iris Wolff von einer Kindheit und Jugend in einer Diktatur (...). Ihr Text ist ein anmutig zarter, poetischer Widerstandsakt.)" Cornelia Geißler states in her review: "'Clearings' is the fifth novel by Iris Wolff (...). Her first book was published in 2012, the interest of the public and critics in her writing grew steadily. The most recently published novel, 'Blurred', was celebrated for good reason: the way the author interweaves contemporary history with magical elements, the way she leads her characters across borders is of captivating eloquence. (...) Iris Wolff is also convincing in 'Clearings' due to narrative consistency and the choice of tone. The novel again shows people in European contexts, and the political aspect is even more discreetly addressed this time. ('Lichtungen' ist der fünfte Roman von Iris Wolff (...). 2012 erschien ihr erstes Buch, das Interesse von Publikum und Kritik an ihrem Schreiben wuchs stetig. Der zuletzt veröffentlichte Roman 'Die Unschärfe der Welt' wurde nicht ohne Grund gefeiert: Wie die Autorin darin Zeitgeschichte mit Magischem verwebt, wie sie ihre Figuren über die Grenzen führt, ist von berückender Sprachkraft. (...) Iris Wolff überzeugt auch in 'Lichtungen' durch erzählerische Konsequenz und die Wahl der Tonlage. Der Roman zeigt wiederum Menschen in europäischen Zusammenhängen, das Politische ist diesmal noch dezenter benannt.)"

Publications (selection)

Independent publications

* ''Halber Stein.'' Roman. Otto Müller Verlag, Salzburg 2012, * ''Leuchtende Schatten.'' Roman. Otto Müller Verlag, Salzburg 2015, * ''So tun, als ob es regnet.'' Roman in vier Erzählungen. Otto Müller Verlag, Salzburg 2017, * ''Die Unschärfe der Welt.'' Roman. Klett-Cotta-Verlag, Stuttgart 2020, * ''Lichtungen.'' Roman. Klett-Cotta-Verlag, Stuttgart 2024,

Anthologies and literary magazines (selection)

* ''Auf der Breite eines Schermessers. Schillers Arbeit am Piccolomini-Manuskript''. In: ''Unterm Parnass''. Das Schiller-Nationalmuseum, Stuttgart 2009. * ''Literatur berührt.'' ''Kooperationen zwischen Schule und Museum am Beispiel der Marbacher Literaturschule LINA''. Lernort Literaturmuseum. Beiträge zur kulturellen Bildung, Göttingen 2011. * ''Kinderszenen. Schreiben und Erinnern mit Walter Benjamin''. In: ''Deutschunterricht''. Heft 6, 65. Jahrgang 2012. * ''Blätterfall.'' Kurzgeschichte. In: ''Edition ErLesen''. Kunststiftung Baden-Württemberg, Stuttgart 2013. * ''Haus mit Himmelsleiter.'' Kurzgeschichte. In: ''Spiegelungen. Multikulturelles Banat'', Regensburg 2015. * ''Langsame Tage.'' Kurzgeschichte. In: ''Spiegelungen. Literaturen in Wendezeiten'', Regensburg 2015. * ''Blätterfall''. Kurzgeschichte. Hermannstadt. In: ''Fakten, Bilder, Worte''. Hermannstadt 2017. * ''Drachenhaus''. Kurzgeschichte. In: ''Wohnblockblues mit Hirtenflöte. Rumänien neu erzählen''. Berlin 2018. * ''Ein dritter Raum. Lesereise in Rumänien''. In: ''Literatur & Kritik''. Nr. 525 / 626, 2018. * ''Grashüpfer im Grenzraum''. In: ''Marbacher Magazin 147.148 LiteraturArchivDerZukunft'', Marbach 2021. * ''Das Maß innerer Freiheit''. In: ''Hermann Hesse. Eine Hommage in Geschichten'', Berlin 2022. * ''Fische fangen – Unterwegs in der Sprache''. In: ''"Der Augenblick nennt seinen Namen nicht". Wartburg-Tagebücher: Texte aus dem Wartburg-Experiment'', Salzburg 2022.

Awards

* 2013 Scholarship granted by the Arts Foundation

Baden-Württemberg Baden-Württemberg ( ; ), commonly shortened to BW or BaWü, is a states of Germany, German state () in Southwest Germany, east of the Rhine, which forms the southern part of Germany's western border with France. With more than 11.07 million i ...

* 2014 Ernst Habermann Prize * 2018 One-year scholarship for writers granted by the Ministry of Science, Research and Arts Baden-Württemberg * 2018 Otto Stoessl Prize * 2018 Alpha Literature Prize for ''So tun, als ob es regnet'' (''Pretending, that it rains'') * 2019 Residency scholarship granted by the Künstlerhaus Edenkoben * 2019 Nominated for the

Alfred Döblin Prize The Alfred Döblin Prize () is a German literary award. Named after Alfred Döblin, it was endowed by Günter Grass in 1979. The prize is awarded every two years jointly by the Academy of Arts, Berlin and the :de:Literarisches Colloquium Berlin, Li ...

* 2019 Scholarship of the ''Förderkreis deutscher Schriftsteller in Baden-Württemberg'' * 2019

Marieluise-Fleißer-Preis Marieluise-Fleißer-Preis is a German biennial literary prize, given by the town of Ingolstadt, Bavaria, on behalf of the Marieluise-Fleißer-Gesellschaft, in memory of the writer Marieluise Fleißer who was born in Ingolstadt. It is awarded to a G ...

* 2019

Thaddäus-Troll-Preis Thaddäus-Troll-Preis is a literary prize awarded by the ''Förderkreis deutscher Schriftsteller in Baden-Württemberg'', an organization that supports and sponsors writers in the German state of Baden-Württemberg. The prize is awarded annually ...

* 2020 Scholarship granted by the

Reinhold-Schneider-Preis The Reinhold-Schneider-Preis (Reinhold Schneider Prize) is the cultural prize awarded by the German town of Freiburg im Breisgau. It has been awarded biennially since 1960, alternating between literature, music and art. In addition to the main prize ...

* 2020 Nominated for the

(Longlist) * 2020 Nominated for the Bavarian Book Prize * 2020 Nominated for the

Wilhelm Raabe Literature Prize The Wilhelm Raabe Literature Prize () is a German literary award established in 2000 by the city of Braunschweig and the radio broadcaster Deutschlandradio. It is named after the 19th-century writer Wilhelm Raabe and is awarded for an individual w ...

* 2020 Nominated for the favourite book of the independents 2020 * 2021

Marie Luise Kaschnitz Prize The Marie Luise Kaschnitz Prize (''Marie Luise Kaschnitz-Preis'') is a German literary prize, awarded approximately every two years by the Tutzing Protestant Academy Evangelische Akademie Tutzing. It recognizes the lifetime achievements of writers ...

for her previous work, especially for ''Die Unschärfe der Welt'' * 2021

Evangelischer Buchpreis Evangelischer Buchpreis (English: Evangelical Book Prize), is an annual literary award in Germany since 1979. The books are nominated by the public and the award is given by a jury. The prize is awarded by . The prize money was €5,000 since 1979 ...

for ''Die Unschärfe der Welt'' * 2021 Prize of the ''LiteraTour Nord'' for her previous work and especially for the novel ''Die Unschärfe der Welt'' * 2021

Solothurner Literaturpreis The Solothurner Literaturpreis is a literary award for a literary achievement by a German language writer. Awarded since 1994, the annual prize is 15,000 Swiss francs. It is named after the city of Solothurn in Switzerland. Winners *1994: Moni ...

for her previous work * 2021

Eichendorff-Literaturpreis is a literary prize of Germany. It was first awarded in 1956 and was created in honour of Joseph Freiherr von Eichendorff. The prize, endowed with 5,000 euros, has been awarded annually by the Wangener Kreis – Society for Literature and Art o ...

for her previous work * 2021 ''Literarischer Landgang'' – travel scholarship for visiting the

Oldenburg Land Oldenburg Land () is a region and regional association in the German state of Lower Saxony in the area of the former Grand Duchy of Oldenburg (1815–1918), the later Free State of Oldenburg (1918–1946) and administrative district of Oldenburg ...

* 2021 Scholarship ''Das Wartburg Experiment'' * 2022 Scholarship ''Zwei Raben – Literatur in Oberhessen'' * 2022 Comburg scholarship of

Schwäbisch Hall Schwäbisch Hall (; 'Swabian Hall'; from 1802 until 1934 and colloquially: ''Hall'') is a city in the German state of Baden-Württemberg located in the valley of the Kocher river, the longest tributary (together with its headwater Lein) of the N ...

* 2023 Scholarship granted by the Deutscher Literaturfonds * 2023 Chamisso Prize/Hellerau * 2024

Uwe Johnson Prize The Uwe Johnson Prize is an annual German literary award. The award is named after the writer Uwe Johnson (1934–1984) and was first awarded in 1994. It is awarded for "outstanding literary works in which there are links to the poetics of Uwe John ...

for ''Lichtungen'' * 2024 Nominated for the German Book Prize (Shortlist)

References

External links

Homepage of Iris Wolff

Iris Wolff at Klett-Cotta (Stuttgart)

Iris Wolff at Otto Müller Verlag (Salzburg)

Iris Wolff at Moth Books (London)

Iris Wolff reads from ''Halber Stein'' (''Half a stone'')

Interview with Iris Wolff
{{DEFAULTSORT:Wolff, Iris 1977 births Living people Transylvanian Saxon people Romanian Lutherans German women writers 21st-century German women writers 21st-century Romanian women writers People from Sibiu Romanian emigrants to Germany University of Marburg alumni Writers from Stuttgart