„Two things have had the greatest influence on my life and writing: I was born in the GDR (German Democratic Republic) and grew up in the FRG (Federal Republic of Germany), and I lived partly in the city—as a refugee child—but mostly in the countryside—as a farmer’s child. Expropriation, flight, expulsion, and emigration, as well as city and country life, have all become themes in my work. During thirteen years in London, I experienced being a stranger once again, this time as an adult. I wrote about changing locations and class affiliations always from the perspective of being involved in and affected by history.

I was able to begin, conceptually expand, and differentiate my project for a book on the subject of travel (working title “Mitten in der Heide ein Baum – Landschaften des Abreisens und der Verwurzelung” [A Tree in the Middle of the Heath – Landscapes of Departure and Roots]), which will primarily deal with Heathrow Airport (London).

In my first lyrical-essayistic texts, I was able to explore flying, the calf pasture I experienced as a child on a farm, my parents‘ escape from the GDR (1953), and Karl Phillip’s journey to the United States. In my first lyrical essayistic texts, I was able to weave together flying, the calf pasture experienced as a child in a rural setting, my parents‘ escape from the GDR (1953), and Karl Phillip Moritz’s journey to England (1782). I may even be able to incorporate the magnificent altarpiece by the Master of Schöppingen (active in Münster between 1450 and 1470) from St. Brictius Church—a real surprise that the place had in store for me—and weave it into a tableau of traveling, fleeing, and flying.“