Hensel was born in 1961 in
Karl-Marx Stadt in the former
GDR. A trained nurse, she also studied at the
Johannes R. Becher Institute of Literature in
Leipzig. She has published numerous books in a variety of genres including novels, short stories, poetry and plays. She has won several literary prizes, among which the most notable are the
Anna Seghers Prize in 1987 and the
Lessing Prize (Förderpreis) in 1997. ==Awards==