Rolf Hochhuth was born in 1931 in Eschwege, and was working as a publishing editor when, on a trip to Rome, he started conceptual work on his first play, Der Stellvertreter (The Deputy). Staged for the first time in 1963 by Erwin Piscator in Berlin, the piece gained attention worldwide. Over the years, Hochhuth has produced a large body of plays, essays and poetry, for which he has received many awards. He died 2020 in Berlin.