He co-authored the bestseller novel Alte Liebe with Elke Heidenreich, and received several awards including the Grimme-Preis.

Schroeder was born in Aussig, Reichsgau Sudetenland,[1][2] when his parents fled during World War II.

[1] Schroeder first worked, already during his studies, as assistant director for the broadcaster Bayerischer Rundfunk (BR).

[6] They collaborated on audio plays in the 1970s, and wrote books together after they separated in 1995, Rudernde Hunde in 2002, and Alte Liebe in 2009,[7][8][5] which became a bestseller.

[9] He summarised his work: "Ich schreibe ja immer aus dem Steinbruch meines eigenen Lebens heraus."