Marko Martin © photo private

Marko Martin [Germany]

Born in 1970 in Burgstädt, East Germany, Marko Martin is a distinguished writer, essayist, and critic known for his incisive explorations of exile, memory, and dissident culture. He was banned from attending university for political reasons and, in May 1989, left the GDR as a conscientious objector. He studied German language and literature, politics, and history at the Technical University and the Free University in Berlin. His most recent publication, Und es geschieht jetzt. Jüdisches Leben nach dem 7. Oktober. (Tropen; tr: And it’s happening now: Jewish life after 7 October) was published in 2024.

Martin’s writing often reflects his experiences as an outsider, navigating the tensions between freedom and authoritarianism. His story collections Schlafende Hunde (tr: Sleeping Dogs) and Die Nacht von San Salvador (tr: The Night of San Salvador) look at individual resistance and non-conformist sexuality in Latin America, Southeast Asia, and the Midde East – as do his literary diaries Madiba Days. Eine südafrikanische Reise (tr: Madiba Days: A South African Journey), Die letzten Tage von Hongkong (tr: The Last Days of Hong Kong), and Tel Aviv. Schatzkästchen und Nussschale, darin die ganze Welt (tr: Tel Aviv: The world in a nutshell).

A prolific traveller, Martin’s works span continents, capturing the voices of dissidents, exiles, and cultural outsiders. His narratives move fluidly between reportage and literary prose, making him a unique voice in contemporary German literature. Martin is also a regular contributor to major German media outlets, where he examines cultural and political shifts in Europe and beyond. He is a member of the PEN Centre of German-Speaking Writers Abroad, where has been involved with its human rights committee Writers in Prison for years. He is a member of PEN Berlin.

Martin currently resides in Berlin, where he continues to write about the intersections of identity, freedom, and global political currents.