Bernhard Schlink facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Bernhard Schlink
Schlink in 2018
Born	Bernhard Schlink 6 July 1944 (1944-07-06) (age 81) Bielefeld, Germany
Occupation	Author professor judge
Alma mater	University of Heidelberg (Dr. jur.) University of Freiburg (Hab.)
Notable works	The Reader
Relatives	Edmund Schlink (father)

Bernhard Schlink, born on July 6, 1944, is a German writer, professor, and former judge. He is famous for his book The Reader, first published in 1995. This book became very popular around the world. He also won the Park Kyong-ni Prize in 2014.

Early Life and Education

Bernhard Schlink was born in 1944 near Bielefeld, Germany. He was the youngest of four children. His father, Edmund Schlink, was German, and his mother was Swiss. His father was a professor and a pastor. He was part of the Confessing Church, a group that stood against the Nazis.

In 1946, when Bernhard was two years old, his family moved to Heidelberg. His father became a professor at Heidelberg University. Bernhard grew up in Heidelberg and later studied law. He attended the Free University of Berlin and finished his studies in 1968.

Career as a Judge and Professor

After his studies, Schlink worked as a research assistant at several universities. These included the Technische Universität Darmstadt, Bielefeld University, and University of Freiburg. He also taught law at the University of Bonn and Johann Wolfgang Goethe University Frankfurt am Main.

In 1988, Schlink became a judge. He worked at the Constitutional Court for the German state of North Rhine-Westphalia. In 1992, he became a professor at Humboldt University in Berlin. He taught public law and the philosophy of law there. He retired from his teaching role in January 2006.

Writing Career and Famous Works

Bernhard Schlink started his writing career by creating detective novels. His first detective book, Self's Punishment, was co-written with Walter Popp. Another one of his detective novels, Die gordische Schleife, won an award called the Glauser Prize in 1989.

In 1995, he published his most famous novel, The Reader (Der Vorleser). This book tells the story of a teenager who has a relationship with an older woman. She later disappears. He meets her again years later when he is a law student. He sees her during a trial about difficult historical events.

The Reader became a huge success in Germany and the United States. It was translated into 39 different languages. It was the first German book to reach the top spot on The New York Times bestseller list. The book also won several awards. These included the Hans Fallada Prize in 1997 and the Prix Laure Bataillon. In 1999, it received the Welt-Literaturpreis.

In 2000, Schlink released a collection of short stories called Flights of Love. In 2008, The Reader was made into a film directed by Stephen Daldry. As of 2008, Bernhard Schlink divides his time between New York and Berlin. He is also a member of PEN Centre Germany, an organization for writers.

Awards and Recognition

Bernhard Schlink has received many awards for his writing and work:

• 1989 Friedrich-Glauser-Preis for Die gordische Schleife
• 1993 Deutscher Krimi Preis for Selbs Betrug
• 1995 Stern des Jahres ("Star of the Year") from the Munich newspaper Abendzeitung for Der Vorleser
• 1997 Grinzane Cavour Prize (Italian) for Der Vorleser
• 1997 Prix Laure Bataillon (French) for Der Vorleser
• 1998 Hans Fallada Prize for Der Vorleser
• 1999 Welt-Literaturpreis for his life's work
• 2000 Heinrich Heine Prize
• 2000 Evangelischer Buchpreis for Der Vorleser
• 2000 Cultural prize from the Japanese newspaper Mainichi Shimbun for Der Vorleser
• 2004 Officer's Cross of the Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany
• 2014 Park Kyong-ni Prize (South Korea)

See also

In Spanish: Bernhard Schlink para niños