Kant, Herman

Born in Hamburg in a poor family of a gardener, who in 1940, due to the constant bombing of the city, decided to move to Parchim , where the grandfather of the future writer lived. Here, after graduating from high school, Kant began to study as an electrician. In 1944 he was drafted to the front and soon fell into Polish captivity. During his stay in the Warsaw labor camp, Kant actively participated in the activities of the anti-fascist committee, and after his release in 1949 joined the SED .

In 1952 he graduated from the working faculty in Greifswald . From 1952 to 1956 he studied German studies at the Humboldt University of Berlin (diploma topic “Image of the political and ideological structures of the Nazi troops in the novel“ The Stalingrad ”by Theodore Plivier ). Until 1957 he worked as a research assistant at the University Institute of Germanic Studies, and from 1957 to 1959 he was editor-in-chief of the student magazine “tua res”, then he got a job in the editorial board of the literary magazine “Neue Deutsche Literatur”.

In 1962, Kant's debut book, a collection of short stories “A Little South Sea” ( German Ein bisschen Südsee ), was published , and in 1965, the novel “Assembly Hall” ( German Die Aula ), which brought the writer his first success.

After receiving a diploma of higher education, he began to actively participate in the activities of the university party cell. From 1974 to 1979 he was a member of the SED district committee in Berlin , and from 1986 to 1989 - the party’s central committee. In 1981, he was elected to the GDR People’s Chamber .

In 1959 he joined the Union of German Writers, from 1969 he was its vice president, and from 1978 to 1990 - president. During the work of Kant in the governing structures, Wolf Birman was deprived of citizenship and expelled from the Union of Writers Adolf Endler, Stefan Geim , Karl-Heinz Jacobs and Klaus Schlesinger. However, in 1987, the writer supported the initiative of Gunther de Bruyne and Christophe Hein to soften censorship in literature.

From 1967 to 1982 he was a member of the Presidium of the PEN Center of the GDR, and from 1969 to 1992 - the Academy of Arts .

After the reunification of Germany, Kant was criticized more than once for his policies during his leadership positions in the party and the Writers' Union, and was also accused of many years of cooperation with the Stasi .

• 1962 - “A Little South Sea” ( German: Ein bisschen Südsee , storybook)
• 1965 - “Assembly Hall” ( German: Die Aula , novel)
• 1971 - “In Stockholm” ( German: In Stockholm , travel notes)
• 1972 - “Imprint” ( German: Das Impressum , novel)
• 1975 - The Transition ( German: Eine Übertretung , storybook)
• 1977 - “Stopover” ( German: Der Aufenthalt , novel; other translation “Location”)
• 1981 - The Third Nail ( German: Der dritte Nagel , a short story collection)
• 1981 - “Zu den Unterlagen” (a collection of journalistic essays from 1957-1980)
• 1986 - The Bronze Age ( German: Bronzezeit , storybook)
• 1987 - Summa ( German: Die Summe , a collection of satirical tales)
• 1991 - “Closing Titles” ( German: Abspann ^[1] , memoirs)
• 1994 - “Cormoran” ( German: Kormoran , novel)
• 2002 - “Okarina ^[2] ” ( German: Okarina , novel)
• 2005 - “Cinema” ( German: Kino , novel)
• 2010 - Kennung (novel)

• 1962 - “Ach, du fröhliche ...” (directed by Gunter Reisch , scripted by G. Kant)
• 1968 - “Mitten im kalten Winter” (television movie, directed by Ulrich Tyne )
• 1971 - “Männer ohne Bart” (directed by Rainer Simon)
• 1983 - “Der Aufenthalt” (directed by Frank Bayer , based on the novel “Stop on the Way”)
• 1991 - “Farßmann oder Zu Fuß in die Sackgasse” (director Roland Eme, based on the stories of G. Kant)

• 1962 - Heinrich Heine Award
• 1963 - Literary Prize of the Association of Free German Trade Unions
• 1967 - Heinrich Mann Prize
• 1973 - National Award of the GDR
• 1976 - Order of Merit to the Fatherland, 2nd degree
• 1978 - Hero of Labor title
• 1980 - Honorary Doctor of the University of Greifswald
• 1983 - National Prize of the GDR of the 1st degree
• 1986 - Order of Merit to the Fatherland, 1st degree
• 1986 - Order of Friendship of Peoples