Sabine Schiffner studied theater arts, German studies and educational psychology in Cologne. She mainly writes poetry, as well as short stories, novels and radio plays and has worked as a translator and editor. Her first book of poems besteck im kopf was published in 1995.  Her critically acclaimed debut novel Kindbettfieber was awarded the Jürgen Ponto Prize of the Dresdner Bank for the best literary prose debut of 2005. In May 2014, she was honored with the Eugen Viehof-Ehrengabe der Deutschen Schillerstiftung.

Sabine Schiffner lives and works in Cologne and Mallorca. She is a member of the PEN Center Germany.