Born in Rheinfelden, Dath grew up in Schopfheim, Germany, and finished high school in Freiburg. After civilian service he studied German studies and physics in Freiburg. He lives in Freiburg, Frankfurt and Leipzig.
Since 1990 he has published articles and short stories in German and international newspapers and magazines on sociological, philosophical and cultural topics. Besides his real name, he has been known to use pseudonyms such as "David Dalek", "Dagmar Dath" or "Dieter Draht". In his early career he translated works by Joe Lansdale, Kodwo Eshun and Buddy Giovinazzo into German. Dath was chief editor of the magazine Spex from 1998 to 2000.[2] From 2001 to 2007 he was an editor for the Arts section at the Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung. Apart from writing novels and book-length essays, since 2009 he has worked on several projects with musicians such as Kammerflimmer Kollektief, Mouse on Mars and Jens Friebe. After a professional break during which he wrote novels, two plays and some poetry, in September 2011 he returned as a full-time Arts section editor and film critic to the Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung.[3]
Dath's first books were published in the mid-nineties by various small publishers such as Verbrecher Verlag, SuKuLTuR, Edition Phantasia and later Hablizel. In 2003 Dath published Höhenrausch at the Eichborn-Verlag (now at Rowohlt) and since 2005 he has been with the Suhrkamp Verlag. In 2008 his science fiction novel Abschaffung der Arten (translated by Samuel P. Willcocks into English as Abolition of the Species) was shortlisted for the German Book Prize. Furthermore, the novel was awarded 2009 the Kurd Laßwitz Award. In 2013 he received the Kurd Laßwitz Award a second time for his novel Pulsarnacht. Translations of Dietmar Dath's works (mainly novels) have appeared in Russian, Greek, Korean, Polish, and English.
In his novels, which are mostly in the vein of fantastic literature – horror, sf and fantasy – Dath often works with autobiographical topics. A lot of them feature people who live in small towns such as the one he came from, many characters also work in the media or other sectors of the culture industry. Dath's works deal with aesthetics as well as social, political, sexual, biological and gender issues in often science-fictional ways. Among his influences are writers as diverse as Harlan Ellison, Joanna Russ, Nicola Griffith, Carol Emshwiller, Theodore Sturgeon, Irmtraud Morgner and Peter Hacks. His book Niegeschichte reflects on nearly 1000 pages about the genre of science fiction as a machine of art that can also change thinking, it was published in 2019 by Matthes & Seitz Berlin.[4]
Dath is a Marxist.[5][6][7][8][9][10][11] In the film documentary by Alexander Kluge about Karl Marx's Capital Dath is featured as an expert. In January 2009 he discussed the future of a Marxist outlook on society with Philipp Oehmke in Der Spiegel – and answered to the question whether he is in favor of abolishing capitalism entirely with "Yes, absolutely," and said of his preferred replacement system "Marx calls this socialism".[5]
Dath promotes a system of democratic production, maintaining division of labour, on the highest attainable technological level.[5] He updates Lenin, Marx and others which also enters into his literary oeuvre – Für immer in Honig (Forever in honey), for example, refers explicitly to Lenin's "What is to be done". His most recent political essay is "Maschinenwinter" (machine winter), many explicit references to political matters can be found in the semibiographical interview conducted in 2011 by Martin Hatzius and published in book form as Alles fragen, nichts fürchten (ask all, fear nothing).
Das versteckte Sternbild. Novel (als David Dalek). Berlin: Shayol Verlag 2007
Die Abschaffung der Arten. Novel. Frankfurt/Main: Suhrkamp Verlag 2008. Published in an English translation by Samuel P. WillcocksasThe abolition of species, London: Seagull Books, 2013 ISBN978-0-85742-032-9[12]
Sie schläft. FilmNovel Edition Phantasia: Bellheim 2009
Ovale Fenster. Radio Drama by Dietmar Dath, Thomas Weber und Volker Zander. Kammerflimmer Kollektief. SWR ars acustica 2012.
Larissa oder Sprich diesen Tod nicht aus. Radio Drama by Dietmar Dath & Thomas Weber. Director: Iris Drögekamp. Composition: Kammerflimmer Kollektief. SWR ars acustica 2013.
Antilopenverlobung. By Dietmar Dath und Mareike Maage. With Cathlen Gawlich, Eva Verena Müller, Marc Hosemann, Andreas Grothgar, Frank Genser, Edda Fischer, Sigrid Burkholder, Jörg Hartmann and Stephanie Eidt. Director: Leonhard Koppelmann. BR Hörspiel und Medienkunst 2013. Podcast/Download via BR Hörspiel Pool.[18]
Silber gegen Ende. with The Schwarzenbach. Radio Drama by Heike Aumüller, Dietmar Dath, Johannes Frisch und Thomas Weber. SRF 2014.
2015: Mit Thomas Gebel: Deutsches Demokratisches Rechnen (Die Geschichte einer abgebrochenen Computerrevolution) – Director: Martin Heindel (Feature – RBB)
Die Magnetin. Musikbild einer gefährlichen Liebe. Radio Drama by Dietmar Dath. Director: Iris Drögekamp & Thomas Weber. SWR 2015.[20]
Nie mehr warten. Ein Sprech-, Sing- und Musikdrama. Zur Russischen Revolution 1917. Radio Drama by Dietmar Dath. Director: Iris Drögekamp & Thomas Weber. SWR 2017.[21]
Maryam. Kein Nachruf für Euch. Radio Drama by Dietmar Dath. Composition and Songs: Sophia Kennedy. Director: Henri Hüster. BR/NDR 2019. Podcast/Download via NDR.[22]
