Korn, the son of devout Polish Jews, studied sociology in
Frankfurt am Main at the
Institute for Social Research. In 1975, he became an assistant director to
Michael Gruner in Frankfurt and
Wiesbaden. From 1976, he worked independently as a director and achieved early success in 1978 with a production of
Stella. Following this,
Jürgen Bosse brought him to the
Nationaltheater Mannheim, where he directed
Clavigo in 1979. His 1980 production of
Maria Magdalena in Wiesbaden also received attention. In 1980/81,
Peter Striebeck invited him to the
Thalia Theater in
Hamburg, where he staged
Fegefeuer in Ingolstadt (1980),
Nathan the Wise (1981), and
Leonce and Lena (1982). He went on to direct
The Dispute at the
Cologne Schauspielhaus (1983),
Woyzeck at the
Munich Kammerspiele (1984),
Miss Julie at the
Schauspiel Frankfurt (1985), and
Dom Juan (1985) at the same theatre. Further productions included
Tartuffe at the
Bavarian State Theatre (1987), at the
Schauspielhaus Bochum (1988), and
Elle by
Jean Genet (1991, German premiere) at the same venue. Other engagements took him to the
Schauspielhaus Zürich and to
Paris, where he has lived since 1982. In 1999, Korn was considered as a candidate to succeed
Holger Berg as director of drama at the
Municipal Theatres of Nuremberg, although
Klaus Kusenberg was ultimately appointed to the position. For his essay collection
Kunst, Macht und Moral ("Art, Power and Morality"), he received the
Clemens Brentano Prize of the city of Heidelberg in 1998. Korn has also published numerous essays in German newspapers such as
Die Zeit, addressing topics including the remembrance of fascism, theatre scandals as political phenomena, and current political movements in France. His elder brother,
Salomon Korn, is chairman of the
Jewish Community of Frankfurt and a former vice president of the
Central Council of Jews in Germany. == Publications ==