literature
Longlist for the German Book Prize is set
Part of the twenty title longlist for the German Book Prize. photo
© –/Börsenverein des Deutschen Buchhandels eV/dpa
The German Book Prize will be awarded at the start of the Frankfurt Book Fair on October 16th. The long list of seven debut novels is now available.
Eleven male and nine female authors are present with their novels at the Longlist for this year’s German Book Prize. Well-known names such as Terézia Mora, Clemens J. Setz, Angelika Klüssendorf, Teresa Präauer and Kathrin Röggla made it into the preselection. At the same time, however, there are also seven novel debuts on the list, as announced by the German book trade association in Frankfurt.
“This year, our selection is once again proof that contemporary German-language literature is full of surprises,” explained the spokeswoman for the jury, Katharina Teutsch, who works as a freelance critic. “Newcomers confidently stand next to established authors; small publishers alternate with large publishers; tragically serious stories stand alongside caprioles of the imagination.”
This year, a total of 196 novels from 113 German-language publishers were in the running. From the long list of 20 titles, the short list with the six best novels will then be formed in the coming weeks. The seven-member jury wants to publish this on September 19th. The winner will be announced at the award ceremony on October 16, at the start of the Frankfurt Book Fair.
The German Book Prize is one of the most important awards in the industry and has been awarded since 2005. The prize is endowed with a total of 37,500 euros: the winner receives 25,000 euros, the other authors on the shortlist each receive 2,500 euros.
The book prize is awarded by the Book Culture and Reading Promotion Foundation of the German Book Trade Association. Last year, 124 publishers submitted 202 works. The prize then went to Kim de l’Horizon for the novel “Blood Book”.
A paperback with reading samples is available free of charge in many bookstores starting this week.