Susanne Hezel

As “child of the east”, I grew up in the Brandenburg town of Trebbin and was among the very first generation to be able to choose English at school instead of the previ-ously obligatory Russian. They were both new to me, but English represented an exciting future with the freedom of travel and all nature of colourful things. And so it was English and has always remained English, even though it has been joined by others. Capturing languages, understanding how the thoughts and feelings of the people behind them ‘function’ – these are what fascinate me.

Even if language in texts is at risk of becoming a mere tool for more or less desperate explanation attempts, it nonetheless remains so infinitely rich and full of perils, that I am unable to bring myself to say that I have “mastered” a language.