Deniz Utlu was born in Hannover, Germany, and studied at Freie Universität Berlin and at the Université Paris 1 Panthéon-Sorbonne. His debut novel Die Ungehaltenen (The Falling) was published in 2014 and was adapted for stage at the Maxim Gorki Theatre in Berlin in 2015 and Staatstheater Hannover in 2024. His second novel, Gegen Morgen (Towards Morning), was published by Suhrkamp Verlag in 2019. His novel Vaters Meer (My Father's Sea), published by Suhrkamp Verlag won the Alfred Döblin Prize, the Literatour Nord Prize, the Bavarian Book Prize and received a special mention of the European Union Prize of Literature. Max Kade Visiting Professor at Dartmouth College, Spring 2026.