Günter Herburger

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Günter Herburger (6 April 1932 – 3 May 2018) was a German writer. He was born in Isny im Allgäu and died in Berlin at the age of 86. He is buried in Isny. He wrote poetry, short stories, children's books and radio plays, and he was a member of the PEN Center Germany. He received the Grimme-Preis and the Johann Friedrich von Cotta Prize.

Early life and education: He was the son of a veterinarian. From 1945 to 1950 he attended Urspring School. He studied Sanskrit, philosophy and theatre at the University of Munich, but left in 1954 to travel. He lived in Ibiza, Madrid and Oran, and in Paris he met writer Joseph Breitbach. He returned to Munich in 1956 for health reasons and began work on his first novel.

Career and themes: He married Brunhilde Braatz and traveled across Europe; they separated in 1957 and he returned to Isny. He worked at Süddeutscher Rundfunk in Stuttgart for a year, making live broadcasts and films. Through connections he published his early texts. In 1962 he married Ingrid Mannstaedt; they moved to Celle in 1963. Writing became his main work, with his first prose published in 1964, along with radio plays and film scripts. He joined Gruppe 47 in 1964 and moved to Berlin in 1967, where he connected with many writers and the student movement. In 1973 the family returned to Munich, and he married Rosemarie Leitner. He began the "Thuja Trilogy," a romance cycle that kept him busy into the 1990s.

Politics, publishing and later life: He was involved with the German Communist Party (DKP) and studied in the GDR for a time, but grew disillusioned with the party. In 1973 he helped found Munich’s first cooperative bookstore with colleagues. In 1974, after the birth of a disabled daughter, he withdrew more from public literary life, though he continued to win prizes. In 1975 he published the poem "To Improve the Feuilleton," criticizing some critics; it sparked debate. From 1983 he also wrote about marathon running, a hobby he adopted seriously and wrote about in several books.

Death: He died on 3 May 2018 in Berlin, shortly after his wife Rosemarie. He is buried in Isny im Allgäu.