ilb Jahre: 2016
Yu Jie
born in 1973, is a Chinese writer and human rights activist. In 2010 he was incarcerated and tortured for his friendship with the Nobel Peace Prize Laureate Liu Xiaobo. In 2012 he managed to emigrate to the US, where he lives with his family today. Jie has written more than
Yusuf Rieger
born in 1995, was researching the poetry slam scene for a local newspaper on Stralsund, Germany. His first slam made such a strong impression, that he switched sides and took to the stage. He has been studying German literature and cultural studies at Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin since 2015.
Yitzhak Laor
Yitzhak Laor was born in 1948 in the Israeli village of Pardes Hanna near Haifa. He studied literature at Tel Aviv University, subsequently becoming a lecturer on theatre and dance there and at the school of film in Jerusalem. He was imprisoned in 1972 for refusing military duty in the
Yanis Varoufakis
born in 1961 in Athens, Greece, he obtained an MSc in mathematical economics and statistics and a PhD in economics in 1987, and has had many international teaching appointments. From January to July 2015, Varoufakis was Greece’s minister of finance, and in 2016 he co-founded the Democracy in Europe 2025
Wytske Versteeg
Wytske Versteeg was born in the Netherlands in 1983 and completed her studies in political science with honors in 2005. In 2008, after gaining first-hand experience with homelessness while working as a volunteer in an emergency shelter, she wrote the essay »Dit is geen Dakloze« (tr: »This is not a
Wolfgang Kaleck
born in 1960,is a lawyer for international criminal law and human rights. He is the legal counsel to Edward Snowden as well as founder and secretary general of the European Center for Constitutional and Human Rights (ECCHR), an independent human rights organization. He has also published several books, has been
Wolf Biermann
Wolf Biermann was born in Hamburg in 1936. His parents were in the communist resistance, and his father was killed in Auschwitz after years of imprisonment for his political activities. In 1953 Biermann left West Germany for the German Democratic Republic (GDR), and from 1957 to 1959 he worked as
Wells Tower
Wells Tower was born in 1973 in Vancouver, Canada, and grew up in North Carolina. He studied anthropology and sociology at Wesleyan University, and creative writing at Columbia University. He then traveled extensively around the US, taking odd jobs and living paycheck to paycheck – a time in his life
Varujan Vosganian
Varujan Vosganian was born in Craiova, Romania in 1958. He studied commerce at the Academy of Economic Studies and mathematics at the University of Bucharest, earning his doctorate in economics from the latter in 1998. He is a conservative politician, has been president of the Union of Armenians in Romania
Verena Auffermann
born in1944 in Höxter. After apprenticing as a bookseller and studying art history, she worked as a lecturer and publisher, making a name for herself as a critic in particular. Auffermann writes for »Die Zeit« and the »Süddeutsche Zeitung«. The literary anthology »Leidenschaften. 99 Autorinnen der Weltliteratur« (2009; tr. Passions.
Valerio Magrelli
Valerio Magrelli was born in 1957 in Rome, Italy, where he earned a degree in philosophy. After gaining his doctorate in French literature, he shared his extensive expertise in the language and literature of France as a lecturer at the University of Pisa. He is currently a professor in this