Reuter - Romanian-born German writer Mueller wins 2009 Nobel Literature prize

(October 9, 2009) Romanian-born German writer, Herta Mueller who produced tales of the disenfranchised and fought for free speech, won the 2009 Nobel prize for literature on Thursday. The Swedish Academy, which decides the winner of the $1.4 million prize, recognised Mueller for her ability to depict "the landscape of the dispossessed". Mueller, whose mother was sent to a Soviet work camp for five years and who herself was harassed by the Romanian secret police after refusing to be an informer, made her debut in 1982 with a collection of short stories. Her works reflect her experiences growing up in Romania under dictator Nicolae Ceausescu, whose rule came to an end in 1989 when he was executed. Mueller is known for works such as "The Land of Green Plums" which she dedicated to Romanian friends killed under Ceausescu's Communist rule and "The Appointment" in which a Romanian woman sews notes saying "Marry Me" into men's suits bound for Italy.