Walter Kempowski (1929-2007) was sentenced to 25 years in prison by a Soviet military tribunal, of which he served eight years in Bautzen. With his German Chronicles, which include such successful novels as Tadellöser & Wolff and The Good Old Days, he established himself as a bestselling author and a chronicler of the German middle class. His monumental text collage The Echo Sounder is a literary sensation. With numerous renowned prizes to his credit, he has become one of the most important contemporary German authors.