Hans Joachim Schädlich born in 1935 in Reichenbach (Vogtland). He studied German studies in Berlin and Leipzig, and his doctorate in 1960 From 1959-1976 he worked as a research assistant at the Academy of Sciences in East Berlin and later worked as a freelance translator. Other distinctions Heinrich Böll won the Kleist Prize in 1996 Currently he is member of the German Academy for Language and Literature Award in 1992.