Hans Peter Richter was born on April 28, 1925, in Cologne, Germany, the son of Peter and Anna Eckert Richter.

Educated in German schools, he later studied at several German universities, graduating with a doctorate from the Technical University Hannover in 1968.

He spent three years, 1942-1945, in the German Army, rising to the rank of lieutenant and receiving several decorations, including the Iron Cross. He married Elfriede Feldmann.

Richter has written many types of literature, including essays, radio and television scripts, book-length scholarly publications in journals, and texts on reading and children's literature. Published in German in 1961, Friedrich became his most well-known work of fiction and received German prizes in 1961 and 1964. Translated into English by Edite Kroll in 1970, the novel won the 1972 Mildred L. Batchelder Award for best children's book in translation, given by the American Library Association. Also popular are his first book, Uncle and...