Clemens Meyer

Clemens Meyer was born 1977 and grew up on the wrong side of the tracks in Leipzig. After high school he worked at odd jobs, as night watchman, construction worker and mover. In 1998 he was accepted at the Leipzig Institute for German Literature with various scholarships and from then on worked on his novel, Als wir träumten/When We Were Dreaming (Fischer Verlag 2006), which received numerous prizes. The story is told by one of four young boys who hang out together, not knowing where they belong or what to do with their lives. The time is right after the fall of the Communist regime and all bets are off for everyone in the East. When We Were Dreaming describes how these kids slide into petty crime and it is described with raw power and poetic sensitivity; it's shocking but also heartfelt. For his collection of Short Stories, Die Nacht, die Lichter/ The Night, the Lights (Fischer Verlag 2008) he received the Leipzig Book Fair Prize 2008. (2009)

Events

April 7, 2009