Heike Geißler (born 5 April 1977) is a German author. She is a recipient of the Alfred Döblin Prize and the Heinrich-Böll-Preis.
Life Heike Geißler was born in Riesa, Bezirk Dresden, East Germany, on 5 April 1977. She grew up in Riesa and Karl-Marx-Stadt/Chemnitz. In 2001, she received the "Förderpreis" (sponsorship award) of the Alfred Döblin Prize for her novel Rosa, which was published the following year. Her novel Saisonarbeit (2014) was published as Seasonal Associate by Semiotext(e) in English translation by Katy Derbyshire in 2018 to critical acclaim.
She lives in Leipzig.
Awards (selection) 2001: Alfred Döblin Prize (Förderpreis) 2025: "for her overall literary achievement""Klopstock-Preis für Schriftstellerin Heike Geißler". wdr.de, 4 July 2025 (in German). Retrieved 4 July 2025. 2025: Heinrich-Böll-Preis"Heinrich-Böll-Preis geht an Autorin Heike Geißler". wdr.de, 22 October 2025 (in German). Retrieved 22 October 2025. 2025: Bayerischer Buchpreis (de), non-fiction category, for her essay Verzweiflungen"Dorothee Elmiger gewinnt Bayerischen Buchpreis 2025". wdr.de, 29 October 2025 (in German). Retrieved 29 October 2025.
Publications (selection) Rosa. Roman. Deutsche Verlags-Anstalt, Stuttgart/München 2002, . Nichts, was tragisch wäre. Deutsche Verlags-Anstalt, München 2007, . Emma und Pferd Beere. With illustrations by Simone Waßermann, Lubok Verlag, Leipzig 2009, . Saisonarbeit. Spector Books, Leipzig 2014, . English-language translation: Seasonal Associate. Translated Katy Derbyshire. Semiotext(e), New York 2018, .
Verzweiflungen. Essay. Suhrkamp, Berlin 2025, ISBN 978-3-518-12873-2. Arbeiten. Essay. Hanser, Berlin / München 2025, ISBN 978-3-446-27977-3. Michaela Kohlhaas. novel, Suhrkamp, Berlin 2026, ISBN 978-3-518-43280-8.Michaela Kohlhaas A Novel, a brilliant feminist détournement of Kleist’s classic novella , english language report on the novel, suhrkamp.de/rights, retrieved at 5 June 2026
References
External links
Author homepage Profile of Heike Geißler, Deutschlandradio Kultur Review of Seasonal Associate (Saisonarbeit) in the New Yorker (19 November 2018)