Wladimir Kaminer
Wladimir Wiktorowitsch Kaminer is a Russian-German writer and columnist. He writes his texts not in his native language, but in German.
His collection of stories Russendisko, whose first publication marks its 25th anniversary in 2025, made him one of the most popular authors in Germany. Militärmusik and other works also made him known outside of Germany. The total circulation of his books and audiobooks amounts to 6.4 million copies sold. Of these, 1.8 million copies are for Russendisko.
Life
Kaminer is the son of a lecturer in strength of materials and a business economist who worked as a deputy manager in a company of the Soviet inland fleet. Kaminer was a Soviet citizen of Jewish descent and is today a German citizen.From 1986 to 1988, Kaminer served his military service in a missile position near Moscow. After training as an audio engineer for theatre and radio, he studied dramaturgy at the Moscow Institute of Theatre. During his studies, he earned a living with odd jobs and by organizing parties and underground concerts in the Moscow rock scene.
In June 1990, Kaminer received humanitarian asylum in the German Democratic Republic (GDR). Even before the German reunification on 3 October, he was granted, which made him a German citizen under Federal German law. However, he himself reported living for many years with a travel document for aliens.
Work
Kaminer's works are characterized by a humorous, trenchant, and observant style. He achieved his literary breakthrough in 2000 with the story collection Russendisko. From the perspective of an immigrant, he describes the absurdities of German everyday life and addresses cultural differences and similarities.In Militärmusik, Kaminer recounted, partly autobiographically, his hair-raising adventures in the Soviet Army during the time of Gorbachev. The book solidified his reputation as a humorous chronicler of Soviet everyday life and the absurd life in the declining socialist system.
An important place for the development of his literary work was the Berlin, where he tested his stories weekly in front of an audience. In addition to his numerous book publications, Kaminer regularly writes columns and texts for various newspapers and magazines, including the monthly column "Kaminer's Kino" for the cinema magazine.
In addition to his writing, Kaminer is a fixture in German cultural life and a regular guest on television. He had a weekly show called Wladimirs Welt on Radio Multikulti of the SFB and a segment on. Since 2018, Kaminer Inside has been broadcast on the cultural channel 3sat. In it, Kaminer visits special places and people in Germany, Austria, and Switzerland and asks about the meaning of "Heimat".
Together with the musician Yuriy Gurzhy, he organized the event series Russendisko. After the start of the Russian invasion of Ukraine, the series was renamed Ukrainska Diska in solidarity and continues to take place.
Kaminer is a co-founder of the writers' association.
Positions
Wladimir Kaminer sees himself as a bridge-builder between cultures. Since the Russian invasion of Ukraine in 2022, he has increasingly positioned himself as a critical commentator on Russian politics. He sharply condemns the war of aggression, shows solidarity with Ukraine, and expresses nuanced views on Russian society in interviews and talk shows. He emphasizes that the actions of the Kremlin are not synonymous with the will of all Russians and feels a co-responsibility to correct the image of Russia in Germany, which he himself helped to shape.Awards
- 2002:
- 2005: Stahl-Literature Prize
- 2010: Picture Book of the Month April 2010 for Das Leben ist kein Joghurt
- 2012:
- 2020: Honorary Artist of the Bad Elster