Catalin Dorian Florescu was born in 1967 in Timisoara, Romania. He fled to the West with his parents in 1982 and has lived in Zurich since. He studied psychology and psychopathology at Zurich University. 1995–2001: work as psychologist in a rehabilitation centre for drug addicts, further training in gestalt therapy. Freelance author since 2001. He has been awarded numerous grants and prizes, including: Anna Seghers Preis 2003, Schweizer Buchpreis 2011, Joseph von Eichendorff Literaturpreis 2012.