Born in Bolzano (Bozen, Italy) in 1934, Herbert Rosendorfer is a lawyer who
introduced himself as an author in 1966 with his short story "Die
Glasglocke." This was followed by many novels, stage works, scripts and
short stories, which revealed him to be an imaginative and multi-faceted
author. A socio-critical satirist, he writes with a well-balanced mixture
of wit, thought-provoking ideas and absurd-grotesque elements. All this is
also found in his novel "Briefe in die chinesische Vergangenheit" (Letters
to China's Past) of 1983, which ranks among his most well-known books. Here
the Chinese Kao-Tai travels from the 10th century to the Munich of the
20th century. In addition to his legal activities, Rosendorfer is honorary
professor for contemporary Bavarian literature at the University of Munich
and obtained the Bavarian Literature Prize in 1999.