Wolf Biermann

Wolf Biermann (born 15 November 1936 in Hamburg) is a German singer-songwriter and poet. He moved to the GDR in 1953 and began publishing songs and poems in 1960. Because of his criticism of the GDR’s party dictatorship, he was subjected to a total ban on performing and publishing in 1965. In 1976, during an authorised concert tour of West Germany, he was stripped of his GDR citizenship; the decision prompted widespread protests in East and West Germany. His notable works include the poetry collections “Die Drahtharfe,” “Mit Marx- und Engelszungen,” and “Deutschland. Ein Wintermärchen.” Biermann received numerous awards, including the Friedrich Hölderlin Prize, the Heinrich Heine Prize, and the Georg Büchner Prize.