Sherko Fatah () is a German writer of descent from Iraqi Kurdistan. A novelist, his stories often address the violence in the Middle East, especially in Kurdish areas. Fatah has won several awards for his contributions to German literature, including the Adelbert von Chamisso Prize.
Life Born in East Berlin on 28 November 1964 to an Iraqi-Kurdish father, Sherko Fatah studied philosophy and art history in West Berlin before he completed his studies with a master's degree in philosophical hermeneutics. Today, Sherko Fatah lives in Berlin as a freelance writer, while also being a member of the PEN Centre Germany.Sherko Fatah; Munzinger Online/Personen - Internationales Biographisches Archiv. He is married as well.Paul Jandl; Ernstfall Literatur. Die Welt, 3 January 2015, page 7
Works
Sherko Fatah's novels touch on topics based on the violent conflicts in the Kurdish parts of Iraq, Iran and Turkey, including the genocidal attacks against Kurdish people by the Ba'athist regime of Saddam Hussein.
Novels Im Grenzland (2001) Donnie (2002) Onkelchen (2004) Das dunkle Schiff (2008) later translated into English by Martin Chalmers (2015) Ein weißes Land (2011)Monika Riedel: "Der Preis des Dazugehörens". literaturkritik.de, March 2012 (in German). Retrieved 17 April 2026. Der letzte Ort (2014) Schwarzer September (2019) Der große Wunsch (2023)"Der große Wunsch". penguin.de (in German). Retrieved 27 March 2026.
Academic work Fatah contributed to parts of the book and journal Die neue Weltliteratur und ihre großen Erzähler in 2014 under direction of Austrian cultural commentator Sigrid Löffler.
Reception
In 2005, the Lire literary magazine named Sherko Fatah in their list 50 Writers of Tomorrow.Lire Magazine, published in Die Welt, 25 May 2005, page 25 Fatah's novel The Dark Ship was also adapted into a radio play which was broadcast on the Norddeutscher Rundfunk.
Awards Stadtschreiber von Bergen –2017 Adelbert von Chamisso Prize – 2019
Book awards Aspekte-Literaturpreis – 2001 Hilde-Domin-Preis für Literatur im Exil – 2007Hilde-Domin-Preis für Fatah. Die Welt, 9. July 2007, page 23 Shortlist of the German Book Prize – 2008
References