Thomas Hettche

Thomas Hettche (b. 1964 in Treis, Hesse) is one of Germany’s most acclaimed contemporary novelists and essayists. He studied German literature, philosophy, and film at Goethe University Frankfurt, earning his doctorate in 1999. Hettche debuted with the novel Ludwig muß sterben (1989) and has since published a string of celebrated works, including The Arbogast Case (2001), What We Are Made Of (2006), Peacock Island (2014), and Herzfaden (2020).

Known for his intellectual depth and stylistic precision, Hettche’s writing explores history, memory, and the complexities of contemporary life. His novels have been shortlisted multiple times for the German Book Prize and translated into several languages. He has contributed essays and reportage to leading newspapers such as the Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung and the Neue Zürcher Zeitung, and served as a juror for the Ingeborg Bachmann Prize.

Hettche’s many honors include the Robert Walser Prize, the Rome Prize from Villa Massimo, the Wilhelm Raabe Literature Prize, the Joseph Breitbach Prize, and the Solothurn Literature Prize. He lives in Berlin and Switzerland.