Jenny Erpenbeck In Conversation

Jenny Erpenbeck was born in Berlin in 1967, into a family of East German writers. Before embarking upon her career as an author, she was a bookbinding apprentice and had various jobs in theatre. After this, she studied opera direction and directed several productions in Germany and Austria. In 1999 her literary debut, the novella GESCHICHTE VOM ALTEN KIND (THE OLD CHILD), was published, followed by several short stories and novels including HEIMSUCHUNG (VISITATION), ALLER TAGE ABEND (THE END OF DAYS) and GING, GEHEN, GEGANGEN (GO, WENT, GONE). She has been awarded numerous prizes for her literary work, including the Thomas Mann Prize, the Premio Strega, and the International Booker Prize for her most recent novel KAIROS. Her books have been translated into more than 30 languages. She lives in Berlin with her family.

Rinkoo Ramchandani is a Hong Kong–based writer, facilitator, and Executive Coach. Following a corporate career of more than 20 years, she earned her MFA in Creative Writing from The University of Hong Kong, where she has also taught. She served four years on the Women in Publishing committee and is currently an advisor to the Hong Kong International Literary Festival. Her short stories appear in various literary journals, and she has been awarded the HKU Fellowship in Creative Writing. In 2024, she was nominated for the Pushcart Prize, recognizing her contributions to contemporary literature.