Stephan Hermlin

Stephan Hermlin (real name Rudolf Leder, 1915–1997) was a German writer. Born in Chemnitz to Jewish textile merchants, he wrote poetry, fiction and essays. After training as a printer, he emigrated in 1936 because of his antifascist activities and lived in, among other places, Egypt, Palestine, England and France. He returned to Germany in 1945 and worked as a radio editor for Hessischer Rundfunk in Frankfurt am Main. In 1947 he moved to East Berlin and subsequently worked as a freelance author. His best-known works include the autobiographical novel “Abendlicht.” As a writer in the GDR, he was also involved in debates about cultural policy and was one of the initiators of the 1976 petition protesting Wolf Biermann’s expatriation.