[1] Härtling was born in Chemnitz[2] and spent the early part of his childhood living in Hartmannsdorf, Mittweida, where his father maintained a law firm.

[2] In the winter semester of 1983/84, he hosted the annual Frankfurter Poetik-Vorlesungen, a lecture series, in which a prominent writer discourses on topics pertaining to their work.

During the series of lectures, he wrote Der spanische Soldat, a short story based on a photograph by Robert Capa.

[5] Härtling devoted a large proportion of his literary output – both in poetry, and in prose – to the reclamation of history, and his own past.

[6][7] His autobiographical novel, Zwettl (1973), deals with the period he spent living in Lower Austria, after his family fled from the Red Army.

There are English translations of several of his children's books, including Granny (Oma), Crutches (Krücke), Ben Loves Anna (Ben liebt Anna), Old John (Alter John),[13] and Herbie's World (Das war der Hirbel).