Frank Witzel


Frank Witzel is a German writer, illustrator, radio presenter and musician. He lives in Offenbach am Main, Hesse.

Life and work

Witzel was born in Wiesbaden, Hesse. After completing his secondary education Witzel studied at a musical conservatory in Wiesbaden having studied piano, cello and classical guitar since childhood. From 1975 onward Witzel published poems in alternative literary magazines including Das Nachtcafé, TJA and Machwerk. His first volume of poetry, Stille Tage in Cliché was published by Nautilus in 1978.
His breakthrough novel Bluemoon Baby, the follow-up, Revolution und Heimarbeit and later works, include elements of conspiracy theory, espionage genre and politics in a heady mix of popular culture and literary theory that has led to his work being likened to that of Thomas Pynchon.
For his projected novel Die Erfindung der Roten Armee Fraktion durch einen manisch-depressiven Teenager im Sommer 1969, Witzel received the 2012 Robert Gernhardt Prize. This was followed by the award of the German Book Prize in 2015 for the completed 800-page novel. The jury praised its “mania, wit and formal daring and a contemporary historical perspective unique in German-speaking literature”.

Publications

Novels