Bernhard Schlink
Encyclopedia
Bernhard Schlink is a German
jurist and writer. He was born in Bethel, Germany, to a German father (Edmund Schlink
) and a Swiss mother, the youngest of four children. Both his parents were theology students, although his father lost his job as a Professor of Theology due to the Nazis, and had to settle on being a pastor instead. Bernhard Schlink was brought up in Heidelberg
from the age of two. He studied law at West Berlin’s Free University, graduating in 1968.
Schlink became a judge at the Constitutional Court of the federal state of North Rhine-Westphalia
in 1988 and in 1992 a professor for public law and the philosophy of law at Humboldt University, Berlin
, Germany. In January 2006 he retired.
. He had been a law professor at the University of Bonn
and Johann Wolfgang Goethe University Frankfurt am Main before he started in 1992 at Humboldt University of Berlin
. His career as a writer began with several detective novels with a main character named Selb—a play on the German word for "self"— (the first, Self's Punishment, co-written with Walter Popp being available in the UK). One of these, Die gordische Schleife, won the Glauser Prize in 1989. In 1995 he published The Reader
(Der Vorleser), a novel about a teenager who has an affair with a woman in her thirties who suddenly vanishes but whom he meets again as a law student when visiting a trial about war crimes. The book became a bestseller both in Germany and the United States
and was translated into 39 languages. It was the first German book to reach the number one position in the New York Times bestseller list. In 1997 it won the Hans Fallada Prize
, a German literary award, and the Prix Laure Bataillon for works translated into French. In 1999 it was awarded the "WELT - Literaturpreis" of the newspaper Die Welt
. In 2000, Schlink published a collection of short fiction called Flights of Love. A January 2008 literary tour, including an appearance in San Francisco for City Arts & Lectures, was cancelled due to Schlink's recovery from minor surgery.
In 2008 Stephen Daldry
directed a film adaptation of The Reader.
In 2010 his Non-fiction political history, Guilt About the Past was published by Beautiful Books Limited (UK).
Schlink currently divides his time between New York
and Berlin
.
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
jurist and writer. He was born in Bethel, Germany, to a German father (Edmund Schlink
Edmund Schlink
Edmund Schlink was a leading German Lutheran theologian in the modern ecumenical movement, especially in the World Council of Churches. Because his career began at the time of Hitler's rise to power in Germany, Schlink’s life, theology, and witness to Christ were shaped by what he called, "Grace...
) and a Swiss mother, the youngest of four children. Both his parents were theology students, although his father lost his job as a Professor of Theology due to the Nazis, and had to settle on being a pastor instead. Bernhard Schlink was brought up in Heidelberg
Heidelberg
-Early history:Between 600,000 and 200,000 years ago, "Heidelberg Man" died at nearby Mauer. His jaw bone was discovered in 1907; with scientific dating, his remains were determined to be the earliest evidence of human life in Europe. In the 5th century BC, a Celtic fortress of refuge and place of...
from the age of two. He studied law at West Berlin’s Free University, graduating in 1968.
Schlink became a judge at the Constitutional Court of the federal state of North Rhine-Westphalia
North Rhine-Westphalia
North Rhine-Westphalia is the most populous state of Germany, with four of the country's ten largest cities. The state was formed in 1946 as a merger of the northern Rhineland and Westphalia, both formerly part of Prussia. Its capital is Düsseldorf. The state is currently run by a coalition of the...
in 1988 and in 1992 a professor for public law and the philosophy of law at Humboldt University, Berlin
Berlin
Berlin is the capital city of Germany and is one of the 16 states of Germany. With a population of 3.45 million people, Berlin is Germany's largest city. It is the second most populous city proper and the seventh most populous urban area in the European Union...
, Germany. In January 2006 he retired.
Career
Schlink studied law at the University of Heidelberg and at the Free University of BerlinFree University of Berlin
Freie Universität Berlin is one of the leading and most prestigious research universities in Germany and continental Europe. It distinguishes itself through its modern and international character. It is the largest of the four universities in Berlin. Research at the university is focused on the...
. He had been a law professor at the University of Bonn
University of Bonn
The University of Bonn is a public research university located in Bonn, Germany. Founded in its present form in 1818, as the linear successor of earlier academic institutions, the University of Bonn is today one of the leading universities in Germany. The University of Bonn offers a large number...
and Johann Wolfgang Goethe University Frankfurt am Main before he started in 1992 at Humboldt University of Berlin
Humboldt University of Berlin
The Humboldt University of Berlin is Berlin's oldest university, founded in 1810 as the University of Berlin by the liberal Prussian educational reformer and linguist Wilhelm von Humboldt, whose university model has strongly influenced other European and Western universities...
. His career as a writer began with several detective novels with a main character named Selb—a play on the German word for "self"— (the first, Self's Punishment, co-written with Walter Popp being available in the UK). One of these, Die gordische Schleife, won the Glauser Prize in 1989. In 1995 he published The Reader
The Reader
The Reader is a novel by German law professor and judge Bernhard Schlink, published in Germany in 1995 and in the United States in 1997...
(Der Vorleser), a novel about a teenager who has an affair with a woman in her thirties who suddenly vanishes but whom he meets again as a law student when visiting a trial about war crimes. The book became a bestseller both in Germany and the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
and was translated into 39 languages. It was the first German book to reach the number one position in the New York Times bestseller list. In 1997 it won the Hans Fallada Prize
Hans Fallada Prize
The Hans Fallada Prize is a German literary prize given by the city of Neumünster in the German state of Schleswig-Holstein. Since 1981 it has been normally awarded every two years to a young author from the German-speaking world...
, a German literary award, and the Prix Laure Bataillon for works translated into French. In 1999 it was awarded the "WELT - Literaturpreis" of the newspaper Die Welt
Die Welt
Die Welt is a German national daily newspaper published by the Axel Springer AG company.It was founded in Hamburg in 1946 by the British occupying forces, aiming to provide a "quality newspaper" modelled on The Times...
. In 2000, Schlink published a collection of short fiction called Flights of Love. A January 2008 literary tour, including an appearance in San Francisco for City Arts & Lectures, was cancelled due to Schlink's recovery from minor surgery.
In 2008 Stephen Daldry
Stephen Daldry
Stephen David Daldry, CBE is an English theatre and film director and producer, as well as a three-time Academy Award nominated and Tony Award winning director.-Early years:...
directed a film adaptation of The Reader.
In 2010 his Non-fiction political history, Guilt About the Past was published by Beautiful Books Limited (UK).
Schlink currently divides his time between New York
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
and Berlin
Berlin
Berlin is the capital city of Germany and is one of the 16 states of Germany. With a population of 3.45 million people, Berlin is Germany's largest city. It is the second most populous city proper and the seventh most populous urban area in the European Union...
.
Literary Works in German
- 1962 Der Andere
- 1987 Selbs Justiz (Self's Punishment; with Walter Popp)
- 1988 Die gordische Schleife (The Gordian Knot), Zurich: Diogenes
- 1992 Selbs Betrug, Zurich: Diogenes
- 1995 Der Vorleser (The ReaderThe ReaderThe Reader is a novel by German law professor and judge Bernhard Schlink, published in Germany in 1995 and in the United States in 1997...
), Zurich: Diogenes - 2000 Liebesfluchten (Flights of Love), Zurich: Diogenes
- 2001 Selbs Mord (Self's Murder), Zurich: Diogenes
- 2006 Die Heimkehr (Homecoming: A Novel), Zurich: Diogenes
- 2008 Das Wochenende (The Weekend: A Novel), Zurich: Diogenes
- 2010 Sommerlügen - Geschichten (~ Summer Lies: Stories), Zurich: Diogenes
Other Works in German
- 1976 Abwägung im Verfassungsrecht, Berlin: Duncker und Humblot
- 1980 Rechtlicher Wandel durch richterliche Entscheidung: Beitraege zu einer Entscheidungstheorie der richterlichen Innovation, co-edited with Jan Harenburg and Adalbert Podlech, Darmstadt: Toeche-Mittler
- 1982 Die Amtshilfe: ein Beitrag zu einer Lehre von der Gewaltenteilung in der Verwaltung, Berlin : Duncker & Humblot
- 1985 Grundrechte, Staatsrecht II, co-authored with Bodo Pieroth, Heidelberg: C.F. Müller
- 2002 Polizei- und Ordnungsrecht, co-authored with Bodo Pieroth and Michael Kniesel, Munich: Beck
- 2005 Vergewisserungen: über Politik, Recht, Schreiben und Glauben, Zurich: Diogenes
Titles in English
- 1997 The ReaderThe ReaderThe Reader is a novel by German law professor and judge Bernhard Schlink, published in Germany in 1995 and in the United States in 1997...
, translated by Carol Brown Janeway, New York: Pantheon Books - 2001 Flights of Love: Stories, translated by John E. WoodsJohn E. WoodsJohn E. Woods is a translator who specializes in translating German literature, since about 1978. His work includes much of the fictional prose of Arno Schmidt and the works of contemporary authors such as Ingo Schulze and Christoph Ransmayr...
, New York: Pantheon Books - 2005 Self’s Punishment, Bernhard Schlink and Walter Popp, translated by Rebecca Morrison, New York: Vintage Books
- 2007 Self’s Deception, translated by Peter ConstantinePeter ConstantinePeter Constantine is a British and American award-winning literary translator who has translated literary works from German, Russian, French, Modern Greek, Ancient Greek, Italian, Albanian, Dutch, and Slovene.-Biography:...
, New York: Vintage Crime/Black Lizard - 2007 Homecoming translated by Michael Henry HeimMichael Henry HeimMichael Henry Heim is a Professor of Slavic Languages, at the University California at Los Angeles . He received his doctorate at Harvard in 1971...
, New York: Pantheon Books - 2009 Self's Murder, Weidenfeld & Nicolson
- 2009 Guilt about the Past, University of Queensland Press, 9 January 2009, Beautiful Books Limited (UK) February 2010 ISBN 9781905636778
- 2010 The Weekend: A Novel, translated by Shaun Whiteside - October 2010
External links
- Bernhard Schlink titles available from Orion Books
- Guaranteeing truth, and avoiding it an extract from Schlink's book, Guilt About The Past, in the Sydney Morning Herald