Biography Essay

Few in the West had heard of Christoph Hein in 1982 when he received the prestigious Heinrich Mann Prize for Literature. Unlike many East German writers who were equally critical of censorship and of the authoritarian Socialist Party regime of the German Democratic Republic (GDR) and who were forcibly expatriated, compelled to exercise "self-censorship" or simply remained silent, Hein stood out as his small country's most eloquent and respected advocate of freedom of speech, press, and artistic expression.

Hein established himself early as an author of world literature, one who wrote in the historical context of the culture in which he lived without being limited by the standard critical reception that forced most East German writers into one of two simple categories: dissident or writer for the State. Unlike the works of most East German writers, Hein's writing continues to be well received in unified Germany, including...