Irmgard Keun

Irmgard Keun
Cover of the Spanish-language edition of Keun's novel The Artificial Silk Girl showing a photo of her in the 1930s.
Cover of the Spanish-language edition of Keun's novel The Artificial Silk Girl showing a photo of her in the 1930s.
Born6 February 1905 (1905-02-06)
Charlottenburg, Kingdom of Prussia, German Empire
Died5 May 1982 (1982-05-06) (aged 77)
Cologne, North Rhine-Westphalia, West Germany
Resting placeMelaten cemetery, Cologne
Occupationauthor
LanguageGerman
NationalityGerman
Alma materBerlitz school
Period1931–1962
Literary movementNew Objectivity
Notable worksThe Artificial Silk Girl, After Midnight
SpouseJohannes Tralow (m. 1932–div. 1937)
PartnerJoseph Roth
Children1
Website
www.penguin.co.uk/authors/31786/irmgard-keun.html
Memorial plaque, Meinekestraße 6, Berlin

Irmgard Keun ([ˈɪʁmɡaʁt ˈkɔɪ̯n]; 6 February 1905 – 5 May 1982) was a German novelist. Noted for her portrayals of the life of women, she is described as "often reduced to the bold sexuality of her writing, [yet] a significant author of the late Weimar period and die Neue Sachlichkeit."[1] She was born into an affluent family and was given the autonomy to explore her passions. After her attempts at acting ended at the age of 16, Keun began working as a writer after years of working in Hamburg and Greifswald. Her books were banned by Nazi authorities but gained recognition during the final years of her life.

  1. ^ Hill, Amy (Fall 2017). "Marginalized Voices". Vanderbilt University, Department of German, Russian, and East European Studies.