literature
Ludwig Börne Prize goes to Daniel Kehlmann
The author Daniel Kehlmann will be honored with the Ludwig Börne Prize 2024. photo
© Hannes P. Albert/dpa
Authors have been honored with the prize since 1993. Now Daniel Kehlmann receives it – a “subtle narrator of parallel realities”.
“Daniel Kehlmann is a virtuoso and subtle narrator of parallel realities,” said von Lovenberg, explaining her choice in her justification. When he looks at the German past, the relevance of his literature for a deeper understanding of our present becomes apparent, she explained. “His work reads as a burning, current warning in the face of the growing threat to democracy and advancing social polarization.”
The prize, which commemorates the writer and essayist Ludwig Börne (1786-1837), has been honoring German-speaking authors in the field of essays, criticism and reports since 1993. A judge appointed by the foundation’s board of directors will decide on the winner under sole responsibility. In the past, the award went to, among others, Hans-Magnus Enzensberger, Marcel Reich-Ranicki, Joachim Gauck, Eva Menasse and most recently to Federal Minister of Economics Robert Habeck (Greens).