The Modern Novel

Biography

Jenny Erpenbeck was born in 1967 in East Berlin. Her father was a physicist and philosopher and his parents were both writers. Her mother was an Arabic translator. After school, she trained as a book binder and then worked in the theatre, before going to university to study drama and, subsequently, musical theatre. After finishing her studies, she put on a Bartók opera at her local church. She then worked in the Graz opera company, putting on one of her own works. She continued to work as an opera director, before turning to writing, at which she has had considerable success.

Other links

Jenny Erpenbeck
Interview
Jenny Erpenbeck: Germany’s least-known famous author
Interview
Interview
Jenny Erpenbeck (in German)
Jenny Erpenbeck (in German)
Erpenbeck, Jenny (in German)
Jenny Erpenbeck (in German)
Interview (in German)
Interview (in German)
Die Narben Berlins (article by Erpenbeck – in German)