Kathrin Schmidt was born in 1958 in Gotha. She studied social psychology in Jena and subsequently worked as a research assistant at Leipzig’s Karl Marx University, as a child psychologist and as an editor of the magazine YPSILON. In 1982 she debuted with the poetry collection “Poesiealbum 179”, and since 1994 has devoted herself entirely to her writing. She lives in Berlin.

Photo: © Susanne Schleyer/autorenarchiv.de

Awards:

• 1988 Anna Seghers
• Prize
• 1993 Leonce and Lena Prize of the City of Darmstadt
• 1994 Poetry Prize of the City of Meran
• 1997 Hans Erich Nossack Promotion Prize of the Federation of German Industries
• 1998 Prize of the State of Carinthia at the Ingeborg Bachmann Competition in Klagenfurt
• 1998 Heimito von Doderer Promotion Prize
• 1999 Christine Lavant Promotion Prize
• 2001 German Critics’ Prize
• 2003 Droste Literature Prize of the City of Meersburg
• 2009 Preis der SWR-Bestenliste and German Book Prize for You Are Not Going to Die