The theme of post-war, divided Germany and the difficulties of emigration permeate Uwe Johnson’s biography as well as his writing. Johnson witnessed and experienced many forms of emigration in his lifetime: he and his family were refugees at the end of World War II; his mother and sister fled East Germany in 1956, three years before he himself emigrated to the West; and toward the end of his life, Johnson seemed to flee from reality. His novelistic œuvre has been internationally acclaimed for its formal innovations and for its keen awareness of the twentieth century’s political configurations and the concomitant ethical dilemmas imposed on individuals.

Uwe Klaus Dietrich Johnson was born on 20 July 1934 in Kamien

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First published 15 June 2005

Citation: Marston William, Jennifer. "Uwe Johnson". The Literary Encyclopedia. 15 June 2005.
[http://www.litencyc.com/php/speople.php?rec=true&UID=5451, accessed 9 February 2010.]