Christian Kracht
A Swiss literary provocateur whose sleek, globe-trotting novels dissect the hollow glamour of modern extremism and pop culture.
Born 1966 (age 60)·Swiss novelist·Birthday: December 29·Generation X
Biography
Christian Kracht's 1995 novel 'Faserland' announced a sharp new voice in German-language literature — a minimalist, deadpan travelogue through a spiritually bankrupt Germany. Born in 1966, the Swiss novelist writes with a cool, precise style, exploring historical and contemporary fringe worlds: fascist aesthetes, Himalayan expeditions, North Korean dictatorships, and golden-age Hollywood. Critics often link him to the 'pop literature' movement, but his books are deeply researched philosophical inquiries wrapped in seductive, often darkly humorous narratives. As a journalist, his dispatches from far-flung locations drew him consistently to the edges of the map and the human psyche.
Generation X
1965–1980
The latchkey kids. Raised during divorce, recession, and the end of the Cold War. Skeptical, self-reliant, media-literate. They invented indie culture, grunge, and the early internet — then watched the Boomers take credit.
Christian was born in 1966, placing them squarely in the Generation X. The events that shaped this generation — economic uncertainty, the end of the Cold War, and the rise of personal computing — shaped the world they entered and the choices available to them.
#1 When Christian Was Born
The biggest hits of 1966
#1 Movie
The Bible: In the Beginning
Best Picture
A Man for All Seasons
#1 TV Show
Bonanza
Christian's Life & Times
The world at every milestone
1966Born
Star Trek premieres on television
Gas: $0.32/galHome: $14,200Min wage: $1.25/hrPresident: Lyndon B. Johnson"The Ballad of the Green Berets" — SSgt Barry SadlerBest Picture: A Man for All Seasons
1971Started school
Voting age lowered to 18 in the US
Gas: $0.36/galHome: $18,100Min wage: $1.60/hrPresident: Richard Nixon"Joy to the World" — Three Dog NightBest Picture: The French Connection
1979Became a teenager
Iran hostage crisis begins; Three Mile Island accident
Gas: $0.86/galHome: $37,900Min wage: $2.90/hrPresident: Jimmy Carter"My Sharona" — The KnackBest Picture: Kramer vs. Kramer
1982Could drive
Michael Jackson releases Thriller
Gas: $1.22/galHome: $55,200Min wage: $3.35/hrPresident: Ronald Reagan"Physical" — Olivia Newton-JohnBest Picture: Gandhi
1984Could vote
Apple Macintosh introduced
Gas: $1.13/galHome: $59,800Min wage: $3.35/hrPresident: Ronald Reagan"When Doves Cry" — PrinceBest Picture: Amadeus
1987Turned 21
Black Monday stock market crash
Gas: $0.90/galHome: $72,400Min wage: $3.35/hrPresident: Ronald Reagan"Walk Like an Egyptian" — The BanglesBest Picture: The Last Emperor
1996Turned 30
Dolly the sheep cloned
Gas: $1.23/galHome: $99,700Min wage: $4.75/hrPresident: Bill Clinton"Macarena" — Los del RioBest Picture: The English Patient
2006Turned 40
Twitter launches; Pluto reclassified as dwarf planet
Gas: $2.59/galHome: $174,700Min wage: $5.15/hrPresident: George W. Bush"Bad Day" — Daniel PowterBest Picture: The Departed
2016Turned 50
Donald Trump elected president; Brexit vote
Gas: $2.14/galHome: $181,700Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Barack Obama"Love Yourself" — Justin BieberBest Picture: Moonlight
2026Turned 60
Gas: $3.91/galPresident: Donald Trump
Key Achievements
- Published the seminal novel 'Faserland' (1995), a defining work of German pop literature and generational critique.
- Co-authored the non-fiction book 'The Total Art of Stalinism', examining the aesthetic dimensions of totalitarianism.
- His novel 'Imperium' was a finalist for the German Book Prize, satirizing utopianism and colonialism.
- Served as a correspondent for Der Spiegel and other publications, filing reports from conflict zones and unusual locales.
Did You Know?
He spent part of his childhood in the United States and Canada, where his father worked for the Swiss media conglomerate Ringier.
Kracht studied film at the University of Southern California in Los Angeles.
He is a noted collector of vintage typewriters and has written about them extensively.
His novel '1979' involved extensive research trips to Iran and North Korea.
“The world is a beautiful place, but one has to travel light.”
