Stefan Heym (1913-2001) is a figure of the century. His life was closely intertwined with the history of the 20th century: he fled from the Nazis, became a naturalized citizen in the USA, supported the American invasion forces in psychological warfare, moved to East Germany in 1953, and yet resisted the SED. "Obituary" is the gripping life story of a German Jew and leftist utopian, as well as a poignant document of one of the most contentious writers of post-war literature.