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Literature

German Book Prize announces longlist

August 15, 2017

The jury selected 20 titles from a total of 200 to compete for the most prestigious literary award in German-language publishing. On October 9, the best German-language novel will be revealed at the Frankfurt Book Fair.

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Logo German Book Prize 2017
Image: Deutscher Buchpreis

On Tuesday the jury ofthe German Book Prize 2017 announced the longlisted selections for the best German-language novel of the year. From a total of 200 titles, the members selected 20 books that were published or will be published between October 2016 and September 12, 2017, the day of the shortlist announcement.

"One of the most important abilities of literature is to expand our world," jury spokesperson Katja Gasser said in reference to the selected titles. "The 2017 longlist expresses the attempt to reflect the diversity of the current German-language literary landscape."

Jury for the 2017 German Book Prize
The German Book Prize jury (above) includes journalists, culture experts, and publishersImage: Christina Weiß

Read more: Arno Geiger: The first German Book Prize winner

The titles on the longlist include works from well-known German authors including Marion Poschmann, Gerhard Falkner, Franzobel, Robert Menasse, Sven Regener, Ingo Schulze and Feridun Zaimoglu.

Six titles will be shortlisted in September. The final prize will be awarded on October 9, 2017 at the Frankfurt Book Fair. The winning author will receive 25,000 euro ($29,400) while each of the five finalists will receive 2,500 euro ($2,940).

The 20 selections for the longlist are (in alphabetical order with publishing house and German publication date):

  • Mirko Bonné: "Lichter als der Tag" (Schöffling & Co, July 2017)
  • Gerhard Falkner: "Romeo oder Julia" (Berlin Verlag, September 2017)
  • Franzobel: "Das Floß der Medusa" (Paul Zsolnay, January 2017)
  • Monika Helfer: "Schau mich an, wenn ich mit dir rede!" (Jung und Jung, March 2017)
  • Christoph Höhtker: "Das Jahr der Frauen" (Weissbooks, August 2017)
  • Thomas Lehr: "Schlafende Sonne" (Carl Hanser, August 2017)
  • Jonas Lüscher: "Kraft" (C.H. Beck, March 2017)
  • Robert Menasse: "Die Hauptstadt" (Suhrkamp, September 2017)
  • Birgit Müller-Wieland: "Flugschnee" (Otto Müller, February 2017)
  • Jakob Nolte: "Schreckliche Gewalten" (Matthes & Seitz Berlin, March 2017)
  • Marion Poschmann: "Die Kieferninseln" (Suhrkamp, September 2017)
  • Kerstin Preiwuß: "Nach Onkalo" (Berlin Verlag, March 2017)
  • Robert Prosser: "Phantome" (Ullstein fünf, September 2017)
  • Sven Regener: "Wiener Straße" (Galiani Berlin, September 2017)
  • Sasha Marianna Salzmann: "Außer sich" (Suhrkamp, September 2017)
  • Ingo Schulze: "Peter Holtz" (S. Fischer, September 2017)
  • Michael Wildenhain: "Das Singen der Sirenen" (Klett-Cotta, September 2017)
  • Julia Wolf: "Walter Nowak bleibt liegen" (Frankfurter Verlagsanstalt, March 2017)
  • Christine Wunnicke: "Katie" (Berenberg, March 2017)
  • Feridun Zaimoglu: "Evangelio" (Kiepenheuer & Witsch, March 2017)

The German Book Prize is the most prestigious award for literature in the German language. Last year's winner was Bodo Kirchhoff for his novel "Widerfahrnis," which roughly means encounter and tells the story of two people traveling across, where a chance meeting with a vagabond challenges the path of their lives.

cmb (dpa, KNA)