Christoph Hein was born in 1944 in Silesia. The family eventually settled near Leipzig. As the son of a pastor Hein was denied higher education in the GDR. In 1958 he attended school in West Berlin, returning to the East when the Berlin Wall was built. He was not allowed to study until 1967. While working at the Volksbühne in Berlin he began writing plays, many of which he was prevented from staging in the East. One of Germany's most eminent writers, he has been awarded many prestigious prizes for his work. His plays are now staged throughout Germany. Previous novels include: Der fremde Freund (1982) published in West Germany as Drachenblut, 1983 (The Distant Lover, Tr. Krishna Wilson); Horns Ende, 1985; Der Tango-Spieler, 1989 (The Tango Player, Tr. Philip Boehm); Der Napoleon-Spiel, 1993; Exekution eines Kalbes, 1994 (stories); Von allem Anfang an, 1997. Translation rights available from Suhrkamp Verlag Lindenstrasse 29-35 D-60325 Frankfurt am Main Tel: +49 69 75 601 233 Fax: +49 69 74 62 64 Applications for assistance with translation costs - Germany Rights already sold to - Italy, Netherlands, Spain Suhrkamp Verlag Peter Suhrkamp founded his publishing house in 1950 and was joined in 1952 by Dr. Siegfried Unseld. The group now includes Insel Verlag (founded 1902 in Leipzig) Nomos-Verlag, Deutscher Klassiker Verlag (established in 1981) and the Jüdischer Verlag (founded 1902). Suhrkamp focuses on both contemporary literature and the humanities. Its distinguished list includes leading writers from Germany, Switzerland and Austria, many of whom made their debuts with the firm, besides major international authors including four Nobel Prize winners.