Ulrich Plenzdorf
Autorenfoto zu Ulrich Plenzdorf
© Suhrkamp Verlag

Ulrich Plenzdorf

Ulrich Plenzdorf was born in Berlin-Kreuzberg in 1934 and died in 2007. His family moved from West to East Berlin in 1950 and after graduating secondary school, Plenzdorf studied Marxism-Leninism and philosophy at the Karl Marx University in Leipzig but did not finish his degree. From 1959, he attended the German Academy of Film Art in Potsdam-Babelsberg. In 1963, he began working as a scenarist and dramaturg at the DEFA studios in Babelsberg. The GDR author rose to fame in both Germanys with his socio-critical novel Die neuen Leiden des jungen W. Originally written as a play, it was first performed in Halle/Saale in 1972 and published one year later. Plenzdorf also acquired renown as the scriptwriter for numerous feature films and television series.
Ulrich Plenzdorf was born in Berlin-Kreuzberg in 1934 and died in 2007. His family moved from West to East Berlin in 1950 and after graduating secondary school, Plenzdorf studied Marxism-Leninism and philosophy at the Karl Marx University in Leipzig but did not finish his degree. From 1959, he attended the German Academy of Film Art in Potsdam-Babelsberg. In 1963, he began working as a scenarist and dramaturg at the DEFA studios in Babelsberg. The GDR author rose to fame in both Germanys with his socio-critical novel Die neuen Leiden des jungen W. Originally written as a play, it was first performed in Halle/Saale in 1972 and published one year later. Plenzdorf also acquired renown as the scriptwriter for numerous feature films and television series.
Awards (selection)
Jacob Kaiser Prize 1982
Ingeborg Bachmann Prize for kein runter kein fern 1978
Heinrich Mann Prize 1973
Heinrich Greif Prize for Kennen Sie Urban? 1970
Jacob Kaiser Prize 1982
Ingeborg Bachmann Prize for kein runter kein fern 1978
Heinrich Mann Prize 1973
Heinrich Greif Prize for Kennen Sie Urban? 1970

PUBLICATIONS

Latest first
The Legend of Paul and Paula
Year of Publication: 2017
Ulrich PlenzdorfYear of Publication: 2017

The Legend of Paul and Paula

In the story of Paul and Paula everything is just so: It takes a long time to reach great love. Paul, personal assistant in foreign trade, has married a beautiful but not very intelligent girl....
Rights sold to:
Previously published in the respective language / territory; rights available again: Slovakia (Smena)
The Legend of Happiness Without End
Year of Publication: 2017
Ulrich PlenzdorfYear of Publication: 2017

The Legend of Happiness Without End

The Legend of Happiness Without End is the extended novel based on Plenzdorf’s movie/novel The Legend of Paul and Paula. Laura looks after Paul, bereft of all happiness, and...
Rights sold to:

France (Robert Laffont), Sweden (Thoren & Lindskog)

Previously published in the respective language / territory; rights available again: Netherlands (Meulenhoff), Norway (Gyldendal Norsk), Czech Republic (Mladá Fronta), Slovenia (Pomurska Založba)

Domestic Rights Sales: German Audiobook (Buchfunk)

The New Sorrows of Young W.
Year of Publication: 1973
Ulrich PlenzdorfYear of Publication: 1973

The New Sorrows of Young W.

Edgar W., teenage dropout, unrequited lover, unrecognized genius – and dead – tells the story of his brief, spectacular life. It is the story of how he rebels against the petty rules of communist...
Rights sold to:

English world rights (Pushkin Press), Spanish world rights (Marbot), Serbia (Laguna), Georgia (Intelekti)

Previously published in the respective language / territory; rights available again: Chinese complex rights (Landhill), France (Seuil), Netherlands (Meulenhoff), Denmark (Tiden), Sweden (Pan/Norstedt), Norway (Gyldendal Norsk), Finland (Tammi), Korea (Communicationbooks), Poland (Wydawnictwo Poznańskie), Czech Republic (Melantrich), Slovakia (Smena), Hungary (Europa), Romania (Humanitas), Estonia (Kirjastus Perioodika), Lithuania (Vaga), Croatia (Znanje), Slovenia (Mladinska Knjiga), Turkey (Everest)

Domestic Rights Sales: German Audiobook (Buchfunk)

DISCOVER

News

In Memory of Ulrich Plenzdorf

Author and playwright Ulrich Plenzdorf would have turned 90 on 26 October 2024.