Irmgard Keun

Irmgard Keun (1905–1982) was a German writer. Born in Berlin, she grew up in Cologne. She became well known early in her career with the novels “Gilgi, One of Us” (1931) and “The Artificial Silk Girl” (1932). After her books were banned, she went into exile in 1936 and returned to Germany in 1940 using false papers, living there illegally until 1945. Her 1937 novel “After Midnight” is regarded as part of German-language exile literature. After a period of relative obscurity, her work was rediscovered from 1979 onward.