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Olga Grjasnowa

Olga Grjasnowa was born in 1984 in Baku, Azerbaijan, and is one of Germany’s most admired young authors. She spent many years living in Poland, Russia, Israel, and Turkey, and her celebrated debut novel All Russians Love Birch Trees was awarded the Klaus-Michael Kühne Prize and the Anna Seghers Prize. Her latest publications are Die Macht der Mehrsprachigkeit and Der verlorene Sohn. All her novels have been adapted for the stage and translated into several languages. Olga Grjasnowa lives with her family in Berlin.

Olga Grjasnowa © Valeria Mittelman

Meet The Author

What do you imagine when you think of south Asia? 
Unfortunately not so much, my knowledge about South Asia is very limited, the only country I visited there was Bangladesh. But it was an amazing trip and I hope I will have a chance to come back.
When did you first realize you wanted to be a writer? 
I was always writing, but I never took it seriously, it also never occurred to me that someone can actually become a writer. But then I heard about a creative writing school in Leipzig and I wanted so badly to study there. I guess this is when I realized how much I want to write.
A memory during writing the book you want to share.
Maybe not about writing my book, but about my arrival to Germany in January 1996. When we lived in an asylum seekers' home, our neighbour was from Bangladesh. He was the one who introduced us to live in Germany. 
What are the nuances involved in writing a novel and a script?
Actually, it is every time different and really depends on the certain project. Every researcher is different and then I also need to find a different language for each project. 
What do you like to do when you are not writing?
The whole writing process itself! I really hate to write, but I have to do it. I love everything about it, the research, the editing, but not the writing itself. That’s why I always need a very clear deadline, otherwise I would never finish anything.

Previous Works

Der Russe ist einer, der Birken liebt, Hanser (2012); Die juristischen Unschärfen einer Ehe, Hanser (2014); Gott ist nicht schüchtern, Aufbau (2017)

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