Ernest Wichner

Ernest Wichner was born in Guttenbrunn, Banat, Romania, in 1952 and has lived in Germany since 1967, in Berlin since 1967. He has worked in the Literaturhaus Berlin since 1988, and was its Director from 2003 to 2017. He is also the author of poetry collections and collections of stories and an editor and translator, mainly from Romanian. Together with Herbert Wiesner he has curated exhibitions and exhibition books on literary history subjects and single authors, including the exhibition “In der Sprache der Mörder. Eine Literatur aus Czernowitz, Bukowina” (In the Language of the Murderers: a Literature from Czernowitz, Bukowina) and the associated books, “Isak Weißglas: Steinbruch am Bug. Bericht einer Deportation nach Transnistrien” (Quarry on the Bug: Report on a Deportation to Transnistria) and “Der Nerv. Eine expressionistische Zeitschrift aus Czernowitz“ (The Nerve: an Expressionist Magazine from Czernowitz). In 2020 he was awarded the Johann Heinrich Voss Prize for Translation of the German Academy for Language and Education.

Publications:
bin ganz wie aufgesperrt. (am just as if unlocked). Wunderhorn, 2010.
Neuschnee und Ovomaltine. (Fresh Snow and Ovaltine). hochroth, 2010.
Rückseite der Gesten. (Flip Side of Gestures). Zu Klampen, 2003.
Steinsuppe. (Stone Soup). Suhrkamp. 1988.

Awards (selection):
2020: Johann Heinrich Voss Prize for Translation
2007: Recognition Award of the Zug Translators’ Fellowship
2005: Prize of the City of Münster for European Poetry together with Daniel Banulescu
1991: Promotion Prize of the Andreas Gryphius Prize
1987: Promotion Prize of the Marburg Literature Prize