Alban Nikolai Herbst (born 1955) studied philosophy and history and worked as a currency broker in Frankfurt am Main during the 1990s. He made his literary debut at the age of 26 with the remarkable novella collection "Marlboro." Since the publication of his sixth book, the novel "Wolpertinger oder Das Blau" (1993), he has been regarded as one of the most important German-speaking representatives of postmodern literature. He is also the author of radio plays, theater pieces, and librettos, and has been honored with numerous scholarships and awards, including the Grimmelshausen Prize. Herbst gained a wide readership with his particularly linguistically and compositionally original three-part monumental novel "Anderswelt" (so far, "Thetis," 1999, and "Buenos Aires," 2001, have been published). His novel "Meere" (2003) faced a sales ban due to a legal dispute, which was later lifted. As a poet, Herbst first came to public attention in 2007 with "Dem Nahsten Orient," and most recently published the poem cycle "Der Engel Ordnungen" (2008). In the series "Profiles of the Avant-Garde," Herbst's "Radio-Fantasien" was released by Elfenbein Verlag under the title "Die Illusion ist das Fleisch auf den Dingen" (2003).