
Judith Hermann © Andreas Reiberg
Judith Hermann [Germany]
Born in 1970 in Berlin, Judith Hermann is one of Germany’s most prominent contemporary writers, renowned for her concise, evocative prose and exploration of human isolation and emotional distance. She studied German language and literature and worked as a waitress as well as an actress. After attending a school of journalism, she interned in New York at the German-language newspapers New Yorker Staatszeitung and Aufbau.
Hermann first gained widespread recognition with her debut short story collection, Sommerhaus, später(Summerhouse, Later, 1998), which received numerous accolades, including the renowned Literaturpreis der Stadt Bremen. Her first novel, Alice (2009), examined themes of personal loss and the search for meaning in the modern world, further establishing her reputation as a master of contemporary German literature.
Her works, often introspective and melancholic, delve into the emotional and psychological complexities of individuals navigating life’s uncertainties. Hermann’s writing style is marked by its spare language, yet profound depth, which has made her a leading voice in Germany’s literary scene. She continues to write with an eye on the everyday while capturing the universal questions of existence.
Her latest novel, Wir hätten uns alles gesagt (S.Fischer Verlag, tl: We Would Have Told Each Other Everything, 2023), tackles themes at the centre of Hermann’s work: childhood in unconventional circumstances, divided Berlin, family ties and elective affinities, long, happy summers by the sea. Judith Hermann draws on her writing and her life, about what holds writing and life together and connects them. Truth, invention and mystery – where does a story begin and where does it end? How reliable is our memory, how close are our dreams to reality?
Hermann resides in Berlin.