Martin Walser

Martin Walser (1927–2023) was a German writer. After studying literature, history, and philosophy, he received a doctorate from the University of Tübingen in 1951 for a dissertation on Franz Kafka. From 1949 to 1957, he worked for Süddeutscher Rundfunk and wrote his first radio plays. From 1953 onward, he regularly attended meetings of Gruppe 47, a major postwar German literary association. His first novel, “Ehen in Philippsburg,” was published in 1957. His notable works include “Die Verteidigung der Kindheit,” “Ohne einander,” and “Finks Krieg,” as well as numerous short stories and essays. Walser received, among other honors, the Georg Büchner Prize (1981), the Peace Prize of the German Book Trade (1998), and the International Friedrich Nietzsche Prize (2015).