Bodo Kirchhoff was born on July 6, 1948 in Hamburg. In 1955 his family moved to Kirchzarten in the Black Forest. Four years later his parents divorced and Bodo Kirchhof was sent to boarding school. After studying education and psychology at university, he remained in Frankfurt to make his living as a writer. As early as 1978, he signed his first contract with the renowned publishing house Suhrkamp Verlag. His "cinematic writing style" led him to the film industry. He received offers to write scripts for the television series Tatort (Crime Scene) and other TV dramas. He even briefly hosted his own literary televison show. Time and again, Bodo Kirchhoff travels abroad for extended periods of time, to places that later appear in his books. One example is his most successful novel, "Infanta," written in 1990. It takes place in the Philippines and has been translated into 13 languages. Bodo Kirchhoff lives in Frankfurt and on Lake Garda in Italy. There, he and his wife give literature workshops.