Klaus Kordon

Klaus Kordon was born in Berlin in 1943. He worked at various jobs, attended evening classes to complete secondary school and took correspondence courses to qualify as an export clerk. His work took him to countries in Asia, North Africa and south-eastern Europe. Convicted in 1972 of the "crime" of attempting to escape from East Germany, he was sentenced to a one-year prison term and was then able to leave for West Germany.
Klaus Kordon began writing in the 1970s and made his debut with "Tadaki", a novel for young adults, in 1977. He has now published more than 50 books. His novels for children and young adults, which frequently deal with politics and history, have been translated into 18 languages.
Klaus Kordon's books have received many awards in Germany and abroad. For his complete works he received the Alex-Wedding-Preis der Akademie der Künste zu Berlin in 1998 and the Grand Prize of the German Academy for Literature for Children and Young Adults in 1999.
Klaus Kordon lives with his family in Berlin.