Hans-Ulrich Treichel

Empathy and historical accuracy - in a melancholic tone, Treichel's narrators revolve around everyday life, worries, and disturbances in post-war Germany. Hans-Ulrich Treichel (born 1952) is one of the most important authors in German literary history after 1989. His novel 'Der Verlorene' (1998), a worldwide success, bestseller, and (school) classic, translated into over 25 languages, is regarded as a unique narrative about the psychosocial upheavals of German post-war history. Treichel's novels now form a kind of psychogram of West German social and intellectual history. His literary style oscillates between linguistic virtuosity, melancholy, and cheerfulness. In particular, the ironic self-reflection of his characters has made the 'Treichel sound' famous. As a professor at the Leipzig Literary Institute, Treichel has taught numerous authors the craft of literary writing and has made significant contributions as a literary scholar to the work of Wolfgang Koeppen. His own body of work includes not only prose but also numerous volumes of poetry, travel writings, autobiographical sketches, and essays on literary writing and modern literature.