Thomas Melle was born in 1975 in Bonn and lives in Berlin. He studied comparative literature and philosophy in Tübingen, Austin (Texas) and Berlin. Thomas Melle participated in the Ingeborg-Bachmann contest and his translation of the novel Whores for Gloria (de.: Huren für Gloria) by William T. Vollmann was nominated for the Leipzig Book Fair Prize. His novel Sickster was longlisted for the German Book Prize, 3000 Euro and Die Welt im Rücken reached the shortlist. In 2017 he was awarded the Klopstock Prize and became writer-in-residence of Bergen-Enkheim.