Tobias Steinfeld
- Germany
- Zu Gast beim ilb: 2019
Tobias Steinfeld was born in 1983 in Osnabrück. He first trained as a sign and illuminated advertising manufacturer and then studied communications and German studies in Mannheim and Essen. During his studies, he also worked as an inclusion assistant at a special needs school.
In 2018 his first novel »Scheiße bauen: sehr gut« (tr: Causing Trouble: Excellent) was published for adolescents aged twelve and over. It is about 14-year-old Paul, who is in the eighth grade at a high school, but is quite lazy and unmotivated. With a bit of cunning, he still manages to advance to the next grade every time. When the students in his class are supposed to look for a two-week internship, Paul again remains idle and is finally assigned to a special school by his teacher. Due to a mix-up, everyone there thinks he is a new student, and Paul is in no rush to clear up the misunderstanding, because he quickly realizes that a special student enjoys some advantages: play Playstation, chill at the whirlpool and lounge in the relaxation room. The carefree days come to an end for Paul when the janitor accidentally finds out his real identity. Now Paul finally has to take a stand. With his coming-of-age novel, Steinfeld addresses the topics of inclusion and disability with an entertaining touch. His second book »Kein Plan« (2019; tr: No Plan) is also a coming-of-age novel aimed at young people aged 13 and over. Albert is nearing the end of his school days and is puzzling over what he should do afterwards: Does he want to graduate from high school, start an apprenticeship, or offer his services to a start-up? While his father wants Albert to study, his girlfriend wants him to train his muscles as a bricklayer. In this situation of differing advice and his own insecurity, Albert finally finds himself on a crazy adventure. Steinfeld also writes plays. »27 Monate« (tr: 27 Months), which was performed in 2014 at the Städtische Bühnen Osnabrück under the direction of Marie Bues, tells the story of three pregnant sisters in an entertaining way and addresses today’s unnatural way of dealing with a natural event and the reasons for it.
Steinfeld’s works have received several awards, including the Osnabrücker Dramatikerpreis, the Richtungsding-Preis and the Mannheimer Feuergriffelstipendium. In addition to his writing activities, he regularly runs writing workshops for children, teenagers, and adults, whose texts he publishes in anthologies, produces as radio plays, and shares in blogs. The author lives in Düsseldorf.
Scheiße bauen: sehr gut
Thienemann
Stuttgart, 2018
Kein Plan
Thienemann
Stuttgart, 2019