Daniela Dahn
Encyclopedia
Daniela Dahn is a German
writer
, journalist
and essayist.
and the professional treatment she received. Dahn was brought up in Kleinmachnow
, Brandenburg
in what was then East Germany.
Daniela Dahn studied journalism in Leipzig
and then worked as a television journalist, editing for GDR Television, before turning to freelance writing in 1981. In 1989 Dahn became one of the founders of the GDR opposition group Democratic Awakening
. She later withdrew from it.
The Party of Democratic Socialism controversially introduced Dahn as one of their two candidates for the office of Constitutional Court judge in Brandenburg, in 1998. Her nomination was challenged by the Social Democratic Party of Germany
and her candidacy was retracted at the last moment, after heated debate among the parties of the Brandenburg state parliament
.
Dahn serves on the Executive Board of the writers' association PEN
and lectures internationally. Dahn is also on the Advisory Board of the Humanist Union
, and has held the post of Writer in Residence at Sunderland University in the UK. In addition, Dahn is co-editor of the weekly newspaper der Fritag. Her husband Jochen Laabs was from 1999 to 2001 Vice-President of PEN Center in Germany.
Along with Christa Wolf
, with whom she has collaborated in the past, Dahn was seen as a possible choice by Die Linke as their candidate for President of Germany
in the 2009 presidential election
. Peter Sodann
was eventually chosen instead.
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...
writer
Writer
A writer is a person who produces literature, such as novels, short stories, plays, screenplays, poetry, or other literary art. Skilled writers are able to use language to portray ideas and images....
, journalist
Journalist
A journalist collects and distributes news and other information. A journalist's work is referred to as journalism.A reporter is a type of journalist who researchs, writes, and reports on information to be presented in mass media, including print media , electronic media , and digital media A...
and essayist.
Biography
Dahn is the daughter of the journalist Karl-Heinz Gerstner and fashion journalist Sibylle Gerstner, founder of the East German fashion magazine "Sibyl", and the older sister of Sonja Gerstner, who famously documented her own mental illnessMental illness
A mental disorder or mental illness is a psychological or behavioral pattern generally associated with subjective distress or disability that occurs in an individual, and which is not a part of normal development or culture. Such a disorder may consist of a combination of affective, behavioural,...
and the professional treatment she received. Dahn was brought up in Kleinmachnow
Kleinmachnow
Kleinmachnow is a municipality in the Potsdam-Mittelmark district, in Brandenburg, Germany.-Geography:It is situated southwest of the centre of Berlin, immediately neighbouring the borough of Steglitz-Zehlendorf, and east of Potsdam...
, Brandenburg
Brandenburg
Brandenburg is one of the sixteen federal-states of Germany. It lies in the east of the country and is one of the new federal states that were re-created in 1990 upon the reunification of the former West Germany and East Germany. The capital is Potsdam...
in what was then East Germany.
Daniela Dahn studied journalism in Leipzig
Leipzig
Leipzig Leipzig has always been a trade city, situated during the time of the Holy Roman Empire at the intersection of the Via Regia and Via Imperii, two important trade routes. At one time, Leipzig was one of the major European centres of learning and culture in fields such as music and publishing...
and then worked as a television journalist, editing for GDR Television, before turning to freelance writing in 1981. In 1989 Dahn became one of the founders of the GDR opposition group Democratic Awakening
Democratic Awakening
Democratic Awakening was an East German opposition political movement. It was founded in October 1989, based on existing politically active church groups. Founding members included Wolfgang Schnur, Friedrich Schorlemmer, Rainer Eppelmann, Günter Nooke and Thomas Welz. The organisation was...
. She later withdrew from it.
The Party of Democratic Socialism controversially introduced Dahn as one of their two candidates for the office of Constitutional Court judge in Brandenburg, in 1998. Her nomination was challenged by the Social Democratic Party of Germany
Social Democratic Party of Germany
The Social Democratic Party of Germany is a social-democratic political party in Germany...
and her candidacy was retracted at the last moment, after heated debate among the parties of the Brandenburg state parliament
Landtag of Brandenburg
The Landtag of Brandenburg is the unicameral legislature of the state of Brandenburg in Germany.It has 88 members of parliament, currently belonging to four parties.-History:...
.
Dahn serves on the Executive Board of the writers' association PEN
International PEN
PEN International , the worldwide association of writers, was founded in London in 1921 to promote friendship and intellectual co-operation among writers everywhere....
and lectures internationally. Dahn is also on the Advisory Board of the Humanist Union
Humanist Union
The Humanist Union is an association of German citizenship. Their targets include the achievement of a comprehensive information and more direct democracy and the constitutional abolition of the secret service protection...
, and has held the post of Writer in Residence at Sunderland University in the UK. In addition, Dahn is co-editor of the weekly newspaper der Fritag. Her husband Jochen Laabs was from 1999 to 2001 Vice-President of PEN Center in Germany.
Along with Christa Wolf
Christa Wolf
Christa Wolf was a German literary critic, novelist, and essayist. She is one of the best-known writers to have emerged from the former East Germany.-Biography:...
, with whom she has collaborated in the past, Dahn was seen as a possible choice by Die Linke as their candidate for President of Germany
President of Germany
The President of the Federal Republic of Germany is the country's head of state. His official title in German is Bundespräsident . Germany has a parliamentary system of government and so the position of President is largely ceremonial...
in the 2009 presidential election
German presidential election, 2009
An indirect presidential election was held in Germany on 23 May 2009. The President of Germany was elected by the Federal Assembly, which is made up of the members of the Bundestag and an equal number of members nominated by the state Landtags....
. Peter Sodann
Peter Sodann
Peter Sodann is a German actor, director and politician. He was the Left Party's nominee for the 2009 presidential election, but was not considered a serious candidate by the German media.-Early life:...
was eventually chosen instead.
Works
- Prenzlauer Berg-Tour. Mitteldeutscher Verlag Halle/Leipzig 1987, ISBN 3-354-00139-9
- Wir bleiben hier oder Wem gehört der Osten. Pol. Sachbuch, Reinbek 1994, ISBN 3-499-13423-3
- Westwärts und nicht vergessen. Vom Unbehagen in der Einheit, Essay. Berlin 1996, ISBN 3-499-60341-1
- Vertreibung ins Paradies. Unzeitgemäße Texte zur Zeit, Essays. Reinbek 1998, ISBN 3-499-22379-1
- In guter Verfassung. Wieviel Kritik braucht die Demokratie?, Essay u. Dokum., Reinbek 1999, ISBN 3-499-22709-6
- Wenn und Aber. Anstiftungen zum Widerspruch. Essays. Reinbek 2002, ISBN 3-499-61458-8
- Demokratischer Abbruch, Von Trümmern und Tabus, Essays, Reinbek 2005, ISBN 3-499-61973-3
- Wehe dem Sieger! Ohne Osten kein Westen, Rowohlt, 2009, ISBN 978-3-498-01329-5
Awards
- Ludwig Börne Prize (Ludwig-Börne-Preis), 2004
- Louise SchroederLouise SchroederLouise Dorothea Schroeder was a German politician of the Social Democratic Party of Germany party. She was the first female member of the Weimar National Assembly during the Weimar Republic...
Medal (Louise-Schroeder-Medaille), 2002 - Kurt TucholskyKurt TucholskyKurt Tucholsky was a German-Jewish journalist, satirist and writer. He also wrote under the pseudonyms Kaspar Hauser, Peter Panter, Theobald Tiger and Ignaz Wrobel. Born in Berlin-Moabit, he moved to Paris in 1924 and then to Sweden in 1930.Tucholsky was one of the most important journalists of...
Prize (Tucholsky-Preis), 1999 - Fontane Prize (Fontane-Preis), 1988
- Berlin Prize (Berlin-Preis), 1987