Manfred Flügge studied Romance languages and history at the Universities of Muenster and Lille from 1965-1974. In 1974, he earned his doctorate in philosophy at the University of Muenster. He worked as a junior lawyer in Hagen and from 1976-1990 was a lecturer and assistant professor at the Freie Universität Berlin, where he completed his habilitation in 1981.

Flügge published his first articles in 1977 for the ZEIT newspaper and various other literary magazines. Since 1990, he has been working as a freelance writer of novels, short stories, biographies, and also writes radio features, children’s programs and articles and reviews for various newspapers such as: Tagesspiegel, Berliner Zeitung, and Die Welt. He translates from French.

Manfred Flügge primarily lives in Berlin. Other homes away from home are in Los Angeles, Sanary-sur-Mer, and this or that corner of Switzerland and Paris.