Schrobsdorff grew up in Berlin, and in 1939[2] fled with her mother and sister Bettina (1922—2007) to Sofia, Bulgaria, where she remained until the end of the war.

Schrobsdorff's first novel, Die Herren ("The Gentlemen", 1961) caused a scandal and made her famous.

Her memoir of her mother, Du bist nicht so wie andre Mütter (1992, second ed.

[4] Schrobsdorff also worked as an actress; she appeared in Der Ruf ("The Last Illusion", 1949) and in several films and television programs about her own life.

One of the most famous ones is the German documentary of Bulgarian filmmaker Christo Bakalski named Ausgerechnet Bulgarien ("Bulgaria of all Places").