Benedict Wells

Wells grew up in Bavaria. At the age of six, he was sent to a state boarding school after his parents separated and had to deal with several problems. All of his school years were spent at boarding schools and homes.{{cite news |last1=Cocozza |first1=Paula |title=Benedict Wells on the tear-jerker that took Europe: 'I used anger – and love' |url=https://www.theguardian.com/books/2018/mar/20/benedict-wells-the-end-of-loneliness-interview |access-date=18 February 2021 |work=The Guardian |date=20 March 2018 |language=en}} Following his graduation from high school in 2003, he decided not to go to university but instead moved to Berlin to pursue his writing. He made a living doing odd jobs, while his manuscripts were rejected by publishers and agencies for years.{{Cite web|url=https://www.euprizeliterature.eu/authors/benedict-wells|title=Benedict Wells | EU Prize for Literature|access-date=2021-02-10|archive-date=2021-04-14|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210414163508/http://euprizeliterature.eu/authors/benedict-wells|url-status=dead}}

His first novel Becks letzter Sommer (Beck's Last Summer) was published in 2008 and received widespread acclaim.[http://www.perlentaucher.de/buch/benedict-wells/becks-letzter-sommer.html Becks letzter Sommer], Perlentaucher It was described by Die Zeit as "the most interesting debut of the year" and was made into a film in 2015, starring Christian Ulmen. In the meantime, his third novel Fast genial (Almost Ingenious) had become a first bigger success in Germany.{{Cite web |url=http://www.buchreport.de/bestseller/bestseller_einzelansicht.htm?tx_bestseller_pi1%5Bisbn%5D=9783257067897 |title=Fast genial auf Bestsellerliste |access-date=2015-04-01 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150923195551/http://www.buchreport.de/bestseller/bestseller_einzelansicht.htm?tx_bestseller_pi1%5Bisbn%5D=9783257067897 |archive-date=2015-09-23 |url-status=dead }}

Wells released his fourth novel Vom Ende der Einsamkeit (The End of Loneliness), a family drama, in February 2016. He had worked seven years on it.[https://www.dw.com/de/benedict-wells-vom-ende-der-einsamkeit/a-44292625 100 gute Bücher - Benedict Wells: "Vom Ende der Einsamkeit"] in: Deutsche Welle 9 October 2018. It remained on the German bestseller list for more than 80 weeks and awarded the 2016 European Union Prize for Literature.[http://www.boersenblatt.net/artikel-european_union_prize_for_literature.1124261.html Benedict Wells unter den Gewinnern] in: Börsenblatt des Deutschen Buchhandels 5 April 2016. Retrieved 7 April 2016. An English translation by Charlotte Collins was published in 2018. As of 2023, it is the only book by Wells to be translated into English.

His fifth novel Hard Land was published in February 2021 and became an instant number 1 bestseller in Germany.[https://www.buchreport.de/news/das-erste-mal-platz-1/ Benedict Wells’ neuer Roman ist Spitzenreiter des SPIEGEL-Rankings] in: Buchreport 4 March 2021 It takes place in 1985 in a fictional small town in Missouri. The novel won the Deutscher Jugendliteraturpreis and is also described as an hommage to classic American 80s movies like The Breakfast Club and Stand by Me (film).[https://www.deutschlandfunkkultur.de/benedict-wells-hard-land-eine-amerikanische-jugend-im-sound-100.html Eine amerikanische Jugend im Sound der 80er] in: Deutschlandfunk Kultur 14 April 2021

Wells' books have been translated into 38 languages and have sold more than one million copies worldwide.[https://buchmarkt.de/meldungen/benedict-wells-erhaelt-die-goldene-diogenes-eule/ Benedict Wells erhält die "Goldene Eule"] in: Buchmarkt from October 14th 2020. He previously did not allow his books to be published as ebooks. Since 2018 his books are initially available as hardcover books and audiobooks, then only later as ebooks when the paperback edition is published. This system is intended to support bookshops.{{Cite web|url=https://benedictwells.de/notizen/e-books/|title = E-Books}}

He was born Benedict von Schirach and is a member of the Sorbian Schirach noble family. He is the brother of the philosopher and writer Ariadne von Schirach, a cousin of the author Ferdinand von Schirach,[http://www.stuttgarter-zeitung.de/inhalt.interview-mit-ariadne-von-schirach-gegen-die-verwertung-des-lebendigen-page2.86ae37ce-85fa-412e-9bd4-7bf46d4f80fe.html Interview mit Ariadne von Schirach: Spross einer bekannten Familie], Stuttgarter Zeitung, 2 May 2014 the son of the sinologist Richard von Schirach{{cite news |last1=Shapira |first1=Avner |title=The sensitive novelist whose grandfather was a Nazi criminal |url=https://www.haaretz.com/life/books/MAGAZINE-the-sensitive-novelist-whose-grandfather-was-a-nazi-criminal-1.5446340 |access-date=1 March 2021 |work=Haaretz.com |date=29 August 2019 |language=en}} and a grandson of the Nazi youth leader and war criminal Baldur von Schirach. Wells legally changed his surname at the age of 19, because he wanted to distance himself from what his German grandfather had done and this part of his family's history, which he condemns.[https://benedictwells.de/notizen/a-personal-matter/"A personal matter"] Text by Benedict Wells on his Homepage about the reasons for his name change His family background did not become publicly known until after the success of his third novel.{{cite news |last1=Grey |first1=Tobias |title=In 'The End of Loneliness,' a German-Swiss Novelist Confronts Death and Loss |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2019/01/24/books/end-of-loneliness-german-novelist-benedict-wells.html |access-date=18 February 2021 |work=The New York Times |date=24 January 2019}} The name Wells was inspired by the character Homer Wells in John Irving's novel The Cider House Rules.{{cite news |last1=Söfjer |first1=Jan |title=Junger Star-Autor Benedict Wells: "Ich galt als Versager" |url=https://www.spiegel.de/karriere/junger-star-autor-benedict-wells-ich-galt-als-versager-a-888694.html |access-date=18 February 2021 |work=Der Spiegel |language=de |date=15 March 2013}}

Wells holds both German and Swiss citizenship. His mother was Swiss.{{Cite web|url=https://www.munzinger.de/search/portrait/Benedict+Wells/0/30820.html|title = Benedict Wells - Munzinger Biographie}}

• 2008: Bayerischer Kunstförderpreis for Becks letzter Sommer[http://www.buchreport.de/pressemitteilungen/pressemitteilungen/datum/2009/10/27/bayerischer-kunstfoerderpreis-fuer-benedict-wells.htm Kunstförderpreis für Benedict Wells] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160808034806/http://www.buchreport.de/pressemitteilungen/pressemitteilungen/datum/2009/10/27/bayerischer-kunstfoerderpreis-fuer-benedict-wells.htm |date=2016-08-08 }} in: Buchreport 27, October 2009.
• 2016: European Union Prize for Literature for Vom Ende der Einsamkeit{{cite web |url=https://ec.europa.eu/programmes/creative-europe/news/20160405-eupl-winners-announced_en |title=2016 EU Prize for Literature winners announced |work=ec.europa.eu |author= |date= |accessdate=March 25, 2017}}
• 2016: Book prize of the "Stiftung Ravensburger Verlag" for Vom Ende der Einsamkeit
• 2016: Favourite book of the independent book shops for Vom Ende der Einsamkeit{{cite web|title=Woche unabhängiger Buchhandlungen / Benedict Wells schrieb das Lieblingsbuch / boersenblatt.net|website=www.boersenblatt.net|publisher=|url=https://www.boersenblatt.net/artikel-woche_unabhaengiger_buchhandlungen.1247924.html|accessdate=2016-12-08|last=|date=|year=|language=German|pages=|quote=}}
• 2018: Euregio Literature Prize for Vom Ende der Einsamkeit[http://www.grenzecho.net/region/euregio/euregio-schueler-literaturpreis-fuer-wells Euregio-Schüler-Literaturpreis für Wells] in Grenzecho.net 20 April 2018.
• 2021: Favourite book of the Swiss-German book shops for Hard Land[https://buchmarkt.de/meldungen/hard-land-von-benedict-wells-ist-das-lieblingsbuch-des-deutschschweizer-buchhandels-2021/ „Hard Land“ von Benedict Wells ist das Lieblingsbuch des Deutschschweizer Buchhandels 2021] in Buchmarkt 22 April 2021.
• 2022: Deutscher Jugendliteraturpreis for Hard Land[https://www.sueddeutsche.de/kultur/frankfurter-buchmesse-die-grenzen-sind-nicht-da-1.5679762 "Die Grenzen sind nicht da"] in Süddeutsche.de 21 Oktober 2022.

• Becks letzter Sommer. Diogenes, Zürich 2008, {{ISBN|978-3-257-06676-0}}.
• Spinner. Diogenes, Zürich 2009, {{ISBN|978-3-257-06717-0}}.
• Fast genial. Diogenes, Zürich 2011, {{ISBN|978-3-257-06789-7}}.
• Vom Ende der Einsamkeit. Diogenes Verlag, Zürich 2016, {{ISBN|978-3-257-06958-7}}.
• Die Wahrheit über das Lügen: Zehn Geschichten. Diogenes Verlag, Zürich 2018, {{ISBN|978-3-257-07030-9}}.
• Hard Land. Roman. Diogenes, Zürich 2021, ISBN 978-3-257-07148-1.

• {{Official homepage|http://www.benedictwells.de/}}
• {{DNB-Portal|136158404}}
• {{Perlentaucher|22722}}
• [https://www.theguardian.com/books/audio/2018/apr/17/benedict-wells-plus-man-booker-international-prize-and-london-book-fair-news-books-podcast/ The Guardian Podcast] from April 17, 2018.
• [https://themillions.com/2019/02/dear-john-benedict-wells-in-correspondence-with-john-irving.html/ Benedict Wells in Conversation with John Irving] from February 7, 2019.

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Category:21st-century German novelists

Category:German people of American descent

Category:German people of English descent

Benedict

Category:Living people

Category:1984 births