- Due to his Jewish descent, he was deported to Poland in 1938, where he found himself behind the walls of the Warsaw Ghetto in 1940. Three years later, he managed to escape and was hidden by a Polish couple.
- Considered Germany's most influential literary critic who became a household name as host of Das literarische Quartett (1988).
- Emigrated from communist Poland to West Germany (1958).
- Head of the literary staff at the daily newspaper "Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung" from 1973 to 1988.
- Father of Andrew Ranicki.
- After being awarded a Lifetime Achievement Award at the 2008 German Television Awards, he rejected the prize and criticized the state of German television in his acceptance speech. This outburst caused mixed reactions, some supporting his opinion, some judging his behavior.
Contribute to this page
Suggest an edit or add missing content