STEPHAN SCHMIDT

Stephan Schmidt was born in Biedenkopf, Hesse, in 1972 and studied philosophy, theology, and sinology, which led him to spend a year in China, Taiwan, and Japan respectively, as a student. After completing a doctorate in philosophy, he spent a longer period working at various research institutions in Taipei, where he wrote his acclaimed debut novel Grenzgang, published in 2009 under the name Stephan Thome, which won the aspekte literature prize for debut of the year, appeared on the SPIEGEL bestseller list and — like two of the novels he has published since — was shortlisted for the German Book Prize. <br />Stephan Schmidt is currently working on a non-fiction book addressing the China-Taiwan conflict. He lives in Taipei with his Taiwanese wife.