Marie Luise Kaschnitz was a German short story writer, novelist, essayist, and poet. She was born in Karlsruhe, married archaeologist Guido Freiherr Von Kaschnitz-Weinberg (author of "The Mediterranean Foundations of Ancient Art") in 1925, and travelled with him on archaeological expeditions. Considered one of the leading post-war German poets, she also received high praise for her short stories, many of which were inspired by events in her life, complemented by her personal reminiscences. These stories were collected in books such as "Orte" and "Engelsbrücke". She enjoyed travel greatly, and her tales make use of diverse settings. They are thoughtful in nature, rather than eventful, often dealing with particular stages in a woman's life or a relationship. Her most famous collection is "Lange Schatten". Her post-war essay collection "Menschen und Dinge" (1945) established her reputation in Germany. Her poems dealt with the war and the early post-war period, often expressing a yearning for a peaceful past, but also hope for the future. In the volume "Dein Schweigen – meine Stimme" she dealt with the death of her husband. After 1960, she became influenced by the work of Pablo Neruda. She briefly taught poetics at the University of Frankfurt. She was a member of PEN and won many prizes, including the Georg Büchner Prize in 1955 and the Roswitha Prize in 1973. She was nominated for the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1965 and 1967. The Marie Luise Kaschnitz Prize is named in her honor.

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