Günter de Bruyn facts for kids

Günter de Bruyn at a peace meeting in 1981

Günter de Bruyn (pronounced duh BROYN; 1 November 1926 – 4 October 2020) was a German author. He wrote many books, essays, and stories.

Life of Günter de Bruyn

Günter de Bruyn was born in Berlin, Germany, in November 1926. His father, Carl, was from Bavaria.

During World War II, Günter served as a young helper for the air force (called a Luftwaffenhelfer). Later, he became a soldier. He was injured and then held as a prisoner of war by the United States. After being released, he worked on a farm in Hesse.

He returned to Berlin and trained to be a teacher in Potsdam. Until 1949, he taught in a village near Rathenow in Brandenburg.

Later, he became a librarian. From 1953 to 1961, he worked at the Central Institute for Library Knowledge in East Berlin. From 1961 onwards, de Bruyn became a full-time writer.

He was also involved in literary organizations. He served on the Central Executive Committee of the Literary Association of East Germany from 1965 to 1978. He was also a member of the presidency of the PEN Centre of East Germany from 1974 to 1982.

In October 1989, Günter de Bruyn chose not to accept the National Prize of East Germany. This was a very important award.

He lived in the village of Görsdorf in Brandenburg and also in Berlin. He was a member of the German PEN Centre.

Günter de Bruyn passed away in October 2020 when he was 93 years old.

Günter de Bruyn's Writing

Günter de Bruyn wrote many novels and stories. His works often included parts of his own life (they were autobiographical). He used a realistic style to talk about the private lives of artists in East Germany.

He also wrote essays about literature and history, especially about Prussia. He helped publish a series of books by writers from the 18th and 19th centuries in Berlin and Brandenburg. This series was called Märkischer Dichtergarten.

In the 1990s, he had great success with two volumes of his own life story: Zwischenbilanz (meaning Interim Balance) and Vierzig Jahre (meaning Forty Years).

Awards and Honors

Günter de Bruyn received many awards for his writing:

• 1964 Heinrich Mann Prize
• 1981 Lion-Feuchtwanger-Preis
• 1989 Thomas-Mann-Preis
• 1990 Heinrich-Böll-Preis of the City of Cologne
• 1991 Honorary degree from the University of Freiburg
• 1993 Großer Literaturpreis der Bayerischen Akademie der Schönen Künste (Greater Literary Prize of the Bavarian Academy of Fine Arts)
• 1994 Bundesverdienstkreuz of Germany (Federal Cross of Merit)
• 1996 Literary Prize of the Konrad Adenauer Foundation
• 1996 Literary Prize of the state of Brandenburg
• 1997 Jean-Paul Prize
• 1999 Honorary degree from the Humboldt University of Berlin
• 1999 Fontane Prize of the City of Neuruppin
• 2000 Ernst-Robert-Curtius-Preis for essays; Friedrich-Schiedel-Literaturpreis
• 2005 Order of Merit of Brandenburg
• 2006 Jacob Grimm German Language Prize
• 2007 Gleim Literary Prize
• 2007 Hanns Martin Schleyer Prize
• 2008 Hoffmann von Fallersleben Prize
• 2009 Max-Herrmann-Preis
• 2011 Johann-Heinrich-Merck-Preis

Works by Günter de Bruyn

• Über die Arbeit in Freihandbibliotheken, Berlin 1957
• Hochzeit in Weltzow, Halle (Saale) 1960
• Wiedersehen an der Spree, Halle (Saale) 1960
• Einführung in die Systematik für allgemeinbildende Bibliotheken, Berlin 1961
• Der Hohlweg, Halle (Saale) 1963
• Ein schwarzer, abgrundtiefer See, Halle (Saale) 1963
• Maskeraden, Halle (Saale) 1966
• Buridans Esel, Halle (Saale) 1968
• Preisverleihung, Halle (Saale) 1972
• Tristan und Isolde, Berlin 1975
• Das Leben des Jean Paul Friedrich Richter, Halle (Saale) 1975
• Märkische Forschungen, Halle (Saale) et al. 1978
• Im Querschnitt, Halle (Saale) et al. 1979
• Babylon, Leipzig 1980
• Neue Herrlichkeit, Frankfurt am Main 1984
• Lesefreuden, Frankfurt am Main 1986
• Frauendienst, Halle (Saale) et al. 1986
• Brandenburg, München et al. 1991 (with Hauke Dressler)
• Im Spreeland, Freiburg im Breisgau 1991 (with Erhard Pansegrau)
• Jubelschreie, Trauergesänge, Frankfurt am Main 1991
• Zwischenbilanz, Frankfurt am Main 1992
• Mein Brandenburg, Frankfurt am Main 1993 (with Barbara Klemm)
• Das erzählte Ich, Frankfurt am Main 1995
• Was ich noch schreiben will, Göttingen 1995 (with Ingo Hermann)
• Irritation und Verstehen, Stuttgart 1995
• Vierzig Jahre, Frankfurt am Main 1996
• Altersbetrachtungen über den alten Fontane, Berlin 1999
• Die Finckensteins, Berlin 1999
• Deutsche Zustände, Frankfurt am Main 1999
• Preußens Luise. Vom Entstehen und Vergehen einer Legende, Berlin 2001 (about Louise of Mecklenburg-Strelitz, Queen of Prussia)
• Unzeitgemäßes, Frankfurt am Main 2001
• Unter den Linden, Berlin 2003
• Abseits. Liebeserklärungen an eine Landschaft. Mit Fotos von Rüdiger Südhoff, Frankfurt am Main 2005
• Als Poesie gut. Schicksale aus Berlins Kunstepoche 1786 bis 1807. Frankfurt am Main 2006
• Die Zeit der schweren Not: Schicksale aus dem Kulturleben Berlins 1807 bis 1815, S. Fischer, Frankfurt am Main 2010
• Gräfin Elisa. Eine Lebens- und Liebesgeschichte, S. Fischer, Frankfurt am Main 2012

Books Edited by Günter de Bruyn

• Das Lästerkabinett, Leipzig 1970
• Jean Paul: Leben des Quintus Fixlein, Berlin 1976
• Theodor Gottlieb von Hippel: Über die Ehe, Berlin 1979
• Friedrich de la Motte Fouqué: Ritter und Geister, Berlin 1980 (Märkischer Dichtergarten)
• Friedrich Wilhelm August Schmidt: Einfalt und Natur, Berlin 1981 (Märkischer Dichtergarten)
• Christoph Friedrich Nicolai: Vertraute Briefe von Adelheid B. an ihre Freundin Julie S. Freuden des jungen Werthers, Berlin 1982 (Märkischer Dichtergarten)
• Ludwig Tieck: Die männliche Mutter und andere Liebes-,Lebens-, Spott- und Schauergeschichten, Berlin 1983 (Märkischer Dichtergarten)
• Rahel Levin: Rahels erste Liebe, Berlin 1985 (Märkischer Dichtergarten)
• Ernst Theodor Amadeus Hoffmann: Gespenster in der Friedrichstadt, Berlin 1986 (Märkischer Dichtergarten)
• Theodor Fontane: Die schönsten Wanderungen durch die Mark Brandenburg, Berlin 1988 (Märkischer Dichtergarten)
• Friedrich August Ludwig von der Marwitz: Nachrichten aus meinem Leben, Berlin 1989 (Märkischer Dichtergarten)
• Friedrichshagen und seine Dichter. Arkadien in Preußen, Berlin 1992 (Märkischer Dichtergarten)
• Moritz Heimann: Die Mark, wo sie am märkischsten ist, Berlin 1996 (Märkischer Dichtergarten)

Film Adaptations

Some of Günter de Bruyn's works were made into films:

• 1978: Hochzeit in Weltzow
• 1980: Glück im Hinterhaus [de], based on Buridans Esel
• 1981: Märkische Forschungen