Bernhard Schlink

Bernhard Schlink (born 1944) is a German jurist and writer. He studied law in Heidelberg and Berlin and, after completing his habilitation in 1981, was a professor of public law and legal philosophy at universities in Bonn, Frankfurt am Main, and Berlin. From 1987 to 2006, he also served as a judge on the Constitutional Court of North Rhine-Westphalia. His literary career began in 1987 with the crime novel »Selbs Justiz«, co-written with Walter Popp. He became internationally known for »The Reader« (1995), which has been translated into more than 50 languages and was adapted into a film in 2008. His other works include »The Granddaughter«, »The Late Life«, and the play »20 July«. His literary honors include France’s Légion d’honneur, the Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany, and the Park Kyung-ni Literature Prize.