Hermann Kant was a German writer. He was considered one of the most famous and important writers of the GDR.
Background
Hermann Kant was born on June 14, 1926 in Hamburg, Germany, into the family of Paul and Luise (Visser) Kant. Hermann's ten years younger brother Uwe later became a well-known children's book author. Because of the threatening bombing raids on Hamburg, the family moved to Parchim in 1940 , where his paternal grandfather lived as a master potter.
Education
Hermann studied at Worker's and Farmer’s College in 1949 - 1952. After that he studied German at Humboldt University in 1952 - 1956.
Career
Hermann worked until 1957 as a research assistant at the German Institute and from 1957 to 1959 as editor-in-chief of the student magazine Tua res. In 1960 he became a freelance employee of the Writers' Association of the GDR. Kant's first book was the 1962 published storybook "A little South Seas." In 1972 appeared the novel "The Imprint", in which he further perfected his style. In addition, Kant occasionally wrote screenplays and scenarios, as for Günter Reisch's feature film "Oh, you happy..." and for Ulrich Thein's TV movie "Mitten im kalt Winter."
From 1978 to 1989, Hermann Kant was a novelist who also held political power. He was president of the East German Writers’ Union during those years, and as such, influenced cultural policy, sometimes to the extent of affecting concretely the work of his fellow writers.
Politics
Hermann joined the Socialist Unity Party of Germany.
Views
From the 1970s, Kant took despite its rather narrow view a "weighty significance" in the contemporary literature of East Germany, and had "helped shape minds." Kant was opposed to the "pattern and quintessential as maneuverable as windy compromise literati."
Personality
Quotes from others about the person
...one of the most controversial figures in East German literature.