WALTER HELMUT FRITZ WAS BORN IN Karlsruhe in 1929. He studied literature, philosophy, and modern languages at the University of Heidelberg, then returned to teaching, first at the secondary level, more recently at the university in his native city. Meanwhile, he has achieved an impressive record as a freelance writer. In 1963–1964, he was awarded the prestigious fellowship for study at the Villa Massimo in Rome, and his writing has been recognized by a number of significant prizes. This is his second visit to the United States. He presented a series of readings along the West Coast in the spring of 1978.

Fritz's first volume of poems, Achtsam sein, appeared in 1956. The title hints at what has subsequently been Fritz's cardinal admonition to his readers: Recognize the worth of the simple people, occurrences, and objects in the daily life about you; they want, need, and deserve your concern. Armed with such awareness, you can live more meaningfully and share yourself with others.

Six volumes of poetry have followed the first: Bild und Zeichen (1958), Veränderte Jahre (1963), Die Zuverlässigkeit der Unruhe (1966), Aus der Nähe (1972), Schwierige Überfahrt (1976), and Sehnsucht (1978). His Gesammelte Gedichte appeared in 1979.

Fritz has also published several collections of shorter prose works and four novels, each of which deals with some aspects of the uncertainty of human existence: the first three are Abweichung (1965), Die Verwechslung (1970), Die Beschaffenheit solcher Tage (1972). These are not really novels in the traditional sense. They are rather somewhat loosely connected series of narrative units with periodic breaks, during which more questions may arise in the mind of the reader than answers appear in the text. In the diary-like notations of his most recent novel, Bevor uns Hören und Sehen vergeht (1975), which recounts the day-to-day experiences of a student at the University of Heidelberg in the early days following the Second World War, the theme of transitory existence emerges as the unifying element, accompanied by Fritz's firm yet gentle message that life can have substantial meaning for those who earnestly seek it: