Iris Wolff was born behind the iron curtain in 1977 in Hermannstadt (Sibiu) in Transylvania, into anow dispersed ancient community of German-speaking Protestants. She grew up in a village in the predominantly Catholic Banat, for centuries a melting pot of ethnicities and languages.
In 1985 her father, a Protestant pastor, emigrated to Germany with his wife and young daughter.
After studying literature, religious studies, graphic design and painting, Iris worked for nearly a decade for the German Literature Archive in Marbach as a lecturer. Until 2018, she coordinated the cultural education network in Freiburg im Breisgau, where she lives. She has published five novels.
Iris Wolff was born behind the iron curtain in 1977 in Hermannstadt (Sibiu) in Transylvania, into anow dispersed ancient community of German-speaking Protestants. She grew up in a village in the predominantly Catholic Banat, for centuries a melting pot of ethnicities and languages.
In 1985 her father, a Protestant pastor, emigrated to Germany with his wife and young daughter.
After studying literature, religious studies, graphic design and painting, Iris worked for nearly a decade for the German Literature Archive in Marbach as a lecturer. Until 2018, she coordinated the cultural education network in Freiburg im Breisgau, where she lives. She has published five novels.
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