Süskind was born in Ambach,Bavaria. His father was writer and journalist,Wilhelm Emanuel Süskind, who worked for the newspaperSüddeutsche Zeitung and was a co-author of the well-known bookAus dem Wörterbuch des Unmenschen (From the Dictionary of an Inhuman), a critical collection of essays concerning the language of the Nazi era.[3] His mother, Annemarie Süskind, née Schmitt, was a sports teacher; his older brotherMartin Erhard Süskind [de] (1944–2009) was a journalist and speechwriter.[1][2]
After hisqualification testing for university and his mandatorycommunity service, Süskind studied medieval and modern history at theUniversity of Munich and inAix-en-Provence from 1968 to 1974, but never graduated.[1] Funded by his parents, he relocated toParis, where he wrote "mainly short, unpublished fiction and longer screenplays which were not made into films".[4]
In 1981, he had his first major success with the playDer Kontrabaß (The Double Bass), which was conceived originally as a radio play. During the theatrical season of 1984–85, the play was performed more than 500 times. The only role is that of a tragi-comical orchestra musician. During the 1980s, working with the directorHelmut Dietl, Süskind was also successful as a screenwriter for the television productionsMonaco Franze (1983) andKir Royal (1987), among others. In 1996 he won the Screenplay Prize of the German Department for Culture for his screenplay ofRossini [de], directed by Dietl. He rejected other awards, such as theFAZ-Literaturpreis, theToucan Prize, and theGutenberg Prize.
His best-known work is the novelPerfume: The Story of a Murderer (1985).Perfume was on the bestselling list of the German weekly news magazineDer Spiegel for nine years, has been translated into 49 languages and as of 2019[update] has worldwide sales of more than 20 million copies.[2] In the early 2000s, it was included in theBBC's poll-generated list of the 100 best-loved novels.[5] Also, it wasadapted intoa 2006 film directed byTom Tykwer.[1][2][6][7] Süskind has also published a novella,The Pigeon (1988),The Story of Mr Sommer (1991, illustrated by French cartoonistSempé),Three Stories and a Reflection (1996), and an essay,On Love and Death (2006).[1][2]
Süskind lives areclusive, private lifestyle and divides his time betweenMunich andFrance. He rarely grants interviews and few photographs of him have been published.[1][2]
His spouse is German publisher Tanja Graf [de], with whom he has a son.[8]
Drei Geschichten und eine Betrachtung (Three Stories and a Reflection) (stories, 1996) [Contents:Depth Wish,A Battle,Maître Mussard's Bequest,Amnesia in Litteris.]
