Ernst Kretschmer was born in 1951, he studied German language and literary studies, history, philosophy, comparative literature in Cologne, Cean and Bonn.

He is copublisher of the Morgenstern editions in Suttgart. For his research about Morgenstern and about nonsense he got the Kassel literature award for grotesque humour in 1990.

After lectureships at different unicersities in mailand, Pavia and Bergamo, is Ernst Kretschmer  since 2005 professor for linguistics at the University of Modena/Reggio Emila, Italy. »LKW« is the debut novel of Ernst Kretschmer.