Benedict Wells

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Benedict Wells
Benedict Wells 2021.jpg
Benedict Wells, 2021
Born
Benedict von Schirach

29 February 1984
Munich
NationalityGerman, Swiss
OccupationWriter
Websitewww.benedictwells.de

Benedict Wells (born Benedict von Schirach, 29 February 1984 in Munich[1][2]) is a German-Swiss novelist.[3]

Life and career[]

Wells grew up in Bavaria. At the age of six, he was sent to a state boarding school after his parents separated, one became ill and the other was in financial trouble. The whole of his school years were spent at boarding schools.[4] Following his graduation from high school in 2003, he decided not to go to university but instead moved to Berlin to pursue his writing. He made a living doing odd jobs.[5]

His first novel Becks letzter Sommer (Beck's Last Summer) received widespread acclaim[6] and was described by Die Zeit as "the most interesting debut of the year."[2] It was made into a film in 2015, starring Christian Ulmen.

His third novel Fast genial (Almost Ingenious) became a bestseller in Germany in 2011.[7]

Wells' fourth novel Vom Ende der Einsamkeit (The End of Loneliness) was published in February 2016. It remained on the German bestseller list for more than 80 weeks and awarded the European Union Prize for Literature.[8]

His books have been translated into 38 languages and have sold more than one million copies worldwide.[9]

Family[]

He was born Benedict von Schirach and is a member of the Sorbian Schirach noble family. He is the brother of the philosopher and writer Ariadne von Schirach, a cousin of the author Ferdinand von Schirach,[10] the son of the sinologist Richard von Schirach[11] and a grandson of the Nazi youth leader and war criminal Baldur von Schirach. Wells legally changed his surname at the age of 19, because he wanted to distance himself from what his German grandfather had done and this part of his family's history, which he condemns.[12][4] His family background did not become publicly known until after the success of his third novel.[13] The name Wells was inspired by the character Homer Wells in John Irving's novel The Cider House Rules.[14]

Wells holds both German and Swiss citizenship. His mother is Swiss.[15]

Awards and honors[]

Books[]

  • Becks letzter Sommer. Diogenes, Zürich 2008, ISBN 978-3-257-06676-0.
  • Spinner. Diogenes, Zürich 2009, ISBN 978-3-257-06717-0.
  • Fast genial. Diogenes, Zürich 2011, ISBN 978-3-257-06789-7.
  • Vom Ende der Einsamkeit. Diogenes Verlag, Zürich 2016, ISBN 978-3-257-06958-7.
  • Die Wahrheit über das Lügen: Zehn Geschichten. Diogenes Verlag, Zürich 2018, ISBN 978-3-257-07030-9.
  • Hard Land. Roman. Diogenes, Zürich 2021, ISBN 978-3-257-07148-1.

References[]

  1. ^ https://www.benedictwells.de/biografie/
  2. ^ Jump up to: a b Illies, Florian. "Das interessanteste Debüt des Jahres: Benedict Wells' Roman »Becks letzter Sommer"". Die Zeit (in German). Retrieved 18 February 2021.
  3. ^ Benedict Wells jetzt auch Schweizer in: Focus vom 7. Juli 2016.
  4. ^ Jump up to: a b Cocozza, Paula (20 March 2018). "Benedict Wells on the tear-jerker that took Europe: 'I used anger – and love'". The Guardian. Retrieved 18 February 2021.
  5. ^ https://www.euprizeliterature.eu/authors/benedict-wells
  6. ^ Becks letzter Sommer, Perlentaucher
  7. ^ "Fast genial auf Bestsellerliste". Archived from the original on 2015-09-23. Retrieved 2015-04-01.
  8. ^ Benedict Wells unter den Gewinnern in: Börsenblatt des Deutschen Buchhandels vom 5. April 2016. Abgerufen am 7. April 2016.
  9. ^ Benedict Wells erhält die "Goldene Eule" in: Buchmarkt from October 14th 2020.
  10. ^ Interview mit Ariadne von Schirach: Spross einer bekannten Familie, Stuttgarter Zeitung, 2 May 2014
  11. ^ Shapira, Avner (29 August 2019). "The sensitive novelist whose grandfather was a Nazi criminal". Haaretz.com. Retrieved 1 March 2021.
  12. ^ "A personal matter" Text by Benedict Wells on his Homepage about the reasons for his name change
  13. ^ Grey, Tobias (24 January 2019). "In 'The End of Loneliness,' a German-Swiss Novelist Confronts Death and Loss". The New York Times. Retrieved 18 February 2021.
  14. ^ Söfjer, Jan (15 March 2013). "Junger Star-Autor Benedict Wells: "Ich galt als Versager"". Der Spiegel (in German). Retrieved 18 February 2021.
  15. ^ https://www.munzinger.de/search/portrait/Benedict+Wells/0/30820.html
  16. ^ Kunstförderpreis für Benedict Wells Archived 2016-08-08 at the Wayback Machine in: Buchreport vom 27, Oktober 2009.
  17. ^ "2016 EU Prize for Literature winners announced". ec.europa.eu. Retrieved March 25, 2017.
  18. ^ "Woche unabhängiger Buchhandlungen / Benedict Wells schrieb das Lieblingsbuch / boersenblatt.net". www.boersenblatt.net (in German). Retrieved 2016-12-08.
  19. ^ Euregio-Schüler-Literaturpreis für Wells in Grenzecho.net vom 20. April 2018.

External links[]

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