Peter Schneider with Oliver Mally and Sounding Islands

Peter Schneider was a German writer, novelist, and essayist who rose to prominence as a central figure and spokesperson of the 1968 student protest movement in West Berlin. Born in Lübeck, he studied German, history, and philosophy before working as a freelance journalist and speechwriter. He is best known for his 1973 novel Lenz, a cult text for the German left, and his 1982 book The Wall Jumper, which explored the psychological division of a split Berlin. Throughout his career, he authored over 20 books and frequently served as a visiting professor and writer-in-residence at prominent American universities, including Georgetown, Stanford, and Harvard.