Emine Sevgi Özdamar is among the most celebrated authors in contemporary German literature. She is the author of prize-winning novels, namely “Das Leben ist eine Karawanserei” and “Die Brücke vom Goldenen Horn.” Her works have been translated from German into nearly 20 languages, and she has received many major German literary awards. Özdamar is also an actress of stage and film and writes for the theater. She has worked with directors Benno Besson, Matthias Langhoff, and Claus Peymann at the Volksbühne in Berlin, in Paris and Avignon, and at the Schauspielhaus Bochum. She is featured in Olivier Morel’s documentary film “Germany as told by” (ARTE TV, 2014).
Co-sponsored by the Nanovic Institute for European Studies, the Department of German and Russian Languages and Literatures, and the Ph.D. in Literature Program.
Initiated and organized by Tobias Boes and Olivier Morel.
Full Biography
Emine Sevgi Özdamar is among the most celebrated authors in contemporary German literature. Özdamar is the author of three prize-winning novels: “Das Leben ist eine Karawanserei hat zwei Türen aus einer kam ich rein aus der anderen ging ich raus” (1992); “Die Brücke vom Goldenen Horn” (1998); and “Seltsame Sterne starren zur Erde” (2004). Two collections of stories also garnered acclaim: “Mutterzunge” (1990) and “Der Hof I’m Spiegel” (2001). Her works have been translated from German into nearly 20 languages, and she has received many major German literary awards, including the Ingeborg Bachmann Prize (1991), Walter Hasenclever Prize (1993), Adalbert von Chamisso Prize (1999), Heinrich Kleist Prize (2004), Berlin Art Prize for Literature (2009), Carl Zuckmayer Medal (2010), and the Alice Salomon Poetics Prize (2011). In 2007 she was elected to permanent membership in the Academy of German Language and Literature in Darmstadt. Özdamar is also an actress of stage and film and writes for the theater. She has worked with directors Benno Besson, Matthias Langhoff, and Claus Peymann at the Volksbühne in Berlin, in Paris and Avignon, and at the Schauspielhaus Bochum.