Sherko Fatah

Sherko Fatah is a German writer of descent from Iraqi Kurdistan. A novelist, his stories often address the violence in the Middle East, especially in Kurdish areas. Fatah has won many awards for his contributions to German literature, including the Adelbert von Chamisso Prize.

Life
Born in East Berlin on 28 November 1964 to an Iraqi-Kurdish father, Sherko Fatah studied philosophy and art history in West Berlin before he completed his studies with a master's degree in philosophical hermeneutics. Today, Sherko Fatah lives in Berlin as a freelance writer, while also being a member of the PEN Centre Germany. He is married as well.

Works
Sherko Fatah's novels touch on topics based on the violent conflicts in the Kurdish parts of Iraq, Iran and Turkey, including the genocidal attacks against Kurdish people by the Ba'athist regime of Saddam Hussein.

Novels

 * Im Grenzland (2001)
 * Donnie (2002)
 * Onkelchen (2004)
 * Das dunkle Schiff (2008) later translated into English by Martin Chalmers (2015)
 * Der letze Ort (2014)
 * Schwarzer September (2019)

Academic work
Fatah contributed to parts of the book and journal Die neue Weltliteratur und ihre großen Erzähler in 2014 under direction of Austrian cultural commentator Sigrid Löffler.

Reception
In 2005, the Lire literary magazine named Sherko Fatah in their list 50 Writers of Tomorrow. Fatah's novel The Dark Ship was also adapted into a radio play which was broadcast on the Norddeutscher Rundfunk.

Awards

 * Stadtschreiber von Bergen –2017
 * Adelbert von Chamisso Prize – 2019

Book awards

 * Aspekte-Literaturpreis – 2001
 * Hilde-Domin-Preis für Literatur im Exil – 2007
 * German Book Prize – 2008
 * German Book Prize – 2008