Christiane Schwarze

Born 1960 in Uslar, lives in Homberg/Ohm (Germany).

Member of the Association of German Writers (VS – Verband Deutscher Schriftsteller).

Worked as a speech therapist in her own private practice, now freelance writer.

Art & Engagement

Stylistic diversity is a special quality of the author. She also surprises again and again with unconventional "crossover", that is to say, a fusion of different literary genres. The spectrum ranges from short stories, narratives, poetry, lyrical prose, satire, short thrillers to modern fairy tales and German lyrics.

For more than 30 years, Christiane Schwarze brings social criticism thoughtful and perceptive on point. She takes an unambiguous position against a "society that freezes itself to death".

On the other hand, Christiane Schwarze always looks over the European edge to see the bigger picture to show that many of the things we do or refuse to do in the western world have an impact on the other continents.

The author's concern is to give also blind and visually impaired people access to her literature. Meanwhile, partly with the support of the Ministry of Science and Art, three of her books have also been published in Braille and two of her books as audiobook versions for the blind.

Literary Awards

2018 Prizewinner at the b.bobs 59-Literaturpreis
Geest Verlag/Vechta

2018 Prizewinner at the XXI. Poetry Competition of the Bibliothek Deutschsprachiger Gedichte
Realis Verlag/Munich

2016 International literary contest Political Poetry – “You should not be an uninvolved viewer”
Geest-Verlag (1st prize)

2014 Prizewinner at the Poetry contest Main Rhyme Aschaffenburg

2013 Literature Prize Antho? - Logical! (2nd prize)
As part of the READ!-Festivals 2013, in cooperation with the city of Fürth

2012 Wolfsburg Literature Prize 2012 (1st prize)

2009 Literary contest Ceranius publishing and literary magazine violet (2nd prize)

2008 Dorstener Poetry Prize (fourth place)

2003 Nomination for Friedrich Glauser Crime Shortstory Award

2001 Short story of the year competition, the bench press: Jury Evaluation (2nd prize) and
audience rating (2nd prize)

2001 Story of the Month competition, the bench press (1st prize)

2000 In the context of Wolfener Literature Award (recognition award)

Residencies / Scholarships

In the last couple of years, Christiane Schwarze's literature has furthermore been awarded by means of various work- and residency grants. These were all carried out as coordinated residencies/scholarships together with her duo partner Eva Batt (composition).

2023 Schwitzerland/Vättis (Canton St. Gallen)
Artist-in-Residence | scholarship granted by the association Skulpturenweg Vättis

2022 Switzerland/Sant'Abbondio/Lago Maggiore (Canton Ticino)
Workstay | facilitated by the Fondazione Eduard Bick

2020 Germany/Soltau (Lüneburg Heath)
Writer-in-Residence | grant for work-residency from the city of Soltau and the association
Freundeskreis Künstlerwohnung

2019 Spain/El Hierro (Canary Island)
Writer-in-Residence at the invitation of casArte und BIMBACHE openART

2019 Sweden/Visby (Gotland)
          Artist's stay: Audiobook recording with international artists (supported by GotlandsMusiken).
          Completion of the project The Silence of the Shadows – Mosaic of a Search, which was
          funded by the Baltic Center for Writers and Translators & Visby International Center for
          Composers (SE), Canton Valais & artbellwald (CH) and Center d'Art Marnay Art Center
          (CAMAC) / Fondation Ténot (F).

2018   Switzerland/Bellwald (Canton Valais)
          Writer-in-Residence | scholarship granted by the Canton of Valais and the
          association artbellwald.ch

2018 Sweden/Visby (Gotland)
          Baltic Center for Writers and Translators – Grant for Work Residency
          Coordinated grants for work-residencies in cooperation with the
          Visby International Centre for Composers (with Eva Batt/composition)

2017 France/Marnay-sur-Seine (Region Champagne-Ardenne)
Writer-in-Residence Centre d'Art Marnay Art Centre (CAMAC)
(sponsored by the Fondation Ténot)

2017 Germany/Soltau (Lüneburg Heath)
Writer-in-Residence | grant for work-residency from the city of Soltau and the association
Freundeskreis Künstlerwohnung

2015 Germany/Soltau (Lüneburg Heath)
Writer-in-Residence | grant for work-residency from the city of Soltau and the association
Freundeskreis Künstlerwohnung

Libraries / Archives

Books, audio CDs and Single Releases by Christiane Schwarze were among others archived respectively included in the holdings of the following libraries/archives:

Library of the Foundation Lyrik Kabinett | München
Leipzig Poetry Library | Leipzig
Mediathek Canton Wallis | Sion/Switzerland
Swiss national phonotek | Lugano/Switzerland
Archive & Library Spinnboden e.V. | Berlin
Publishing Central Library for the Blind | Leipzig
BIT-Center from Bavaria Association for Blind- and visual impaired | München
German Institute for the Blind e.V. | Marburg
Badische Landesbibliothek | Karlsruhe
German Literature Archive Marbach | Marbach
Württembergische Landesbibliothek | Stuttgart
ausZeiten e.V. - Bildung, Information, Forschung und Kommunikation für Frauen | Bochum
Archiv der Frauenbewegung, Bibliothek · Dokumentation · Multimedia | Wien
Library of Congress | Washington D.C./USA
Bücheraum f e.V. | Zürich/Switzerland
Bibliothèque national de France | Paris/France

Musically staged Readings

Since the year 2000 the author works together with the composer/pianist Eva Batt.
Together they form the literary-musical duo TonSatz.
Numerous performances with her duo TonSatz in Germany, Luxembourg, Sweden, Spain and Switzerland.

In addition, numerous individual readings and readings in different formations across Germany.

Works by Christiane Schwarze were also read out in Austria and Switzerland during events in which the author could not be present in person.

Book Publications

Seven books have been published since 1997 (Publisher: Baltrum Verlag / Wendepunkt Verlag / Mauer Verlag).
Three of them were transmitted in braille and two as audiobook versions for blind and visual impaired people.

2020 Das Schweigen der Schatten – Mosaik einer Suche (The Silence of the Shadows - Mosaic of a search)
          (Poetry book)

2015 Imaginäre Begegnungen und ein Märchen (Imaginary Encounters)
          Episode stories, lyrical prose and poetry
2018 Transferred in Braille-scripture (Deutsche Zentralbücherei für Blinde (Publishing Central Library for the Blind) / Leipzig)

2003 Losgehen und Möglichkeiten atmen (Start walking and breathe opportunities)
Short stories and poetry

2002 Frau mit Hund und Stock (Woman with dog and stick)
Detective stories
2003 Audiobook-Version (BIT-Center from Bavaria Association for Blind- and visual impaired / München)

2000 Ripp Wurzeltroll – Ein Waldmärchen (A forest fairy tale)
Fairy tale for adults and children

1999   Meine Tage wurden wie schimmernder Opal (My days were as shimmering Opal)
           Short stories and poetry
2002    Transferred in Braille-scripture (Deutsche Zentralbücherei für Blinde (Publishing Central Library for Blind) / Leipzig)

1997   Und zum ersten Mal liebte sie sich selbst (And for the first time she loved herself)
           Short stories and poetry
1999    Transferred in Braille-scripture (German Institute for the Blind e.V. / Marburg)
2000    Audiobook-Version (Blindenhörbuchverlag (Publishing Audiobook Company for the Blind) / Marburg)

Literary-musical staged audiobooks

Five literary-musical staged audio books
together with her Duo TonSatz (Publisher: Baltrum Verlag / Wendepunkt Verlag / Mauer Verlag)

2020   Das Schweigen der Schatten – Mosaik einer Suche | Poesie & Musik
2015   Café Zeitvergessen
2013   Wie ein Augenzwinkern der Zeit
2003   Losgehen und Möglichkeiten atmen
2001   Als Wir Uns Trafen

Single Releases

in over 300 literary magazines, anthologies and art projects (Germany, Austria, Switzerland, Denmark, Spain).

Look at: Einzelveröffentlichungen

Media presence

inter alia Bavarian Television, South West German Television, Hessian Broadcasting, Radiofabrik Salzburg / Austria,
Radio LORA Munich, Radio Unheard Marburg, Citizens Radio Berlin, Free Citizens Radio Bonn, Citizens Radio Nürnberg,
Free Citizens Radio Köln, Artists' project Mit Poesie durch Pandemie (With Poetry through Pandemic), hr2-culture

"Everyday events, experiences and feelings become fantastic texts (...). As a person, she must have traveled a long way in order to master the 'play between reality and dream'.

Texts by Christiane Schwarze leave their mark!"

(Alfred Büngen, Geest-Verlag, literature- and society magazine "Volksfest")

„… Christiane Schwarzes works range from short prose to fairy tales (understood in "quotation marks") and from sly satire to poetry.

The best stories are not those that fill us up, but rather those that make us hungry for life and its different human encounters..."

(from laudation to Christiane Schwarzes Literary Prize Competition "Antho-Logisch" H. Neidel, co-founder of the Museum of Modern Art Nuremberg.)