State Culture Minister Bernd Neumann joins the German Book Prize Academy

State culture minister Bernd Neumann is now a member of the German Book Prize Academy. Every autumn, this body chooses a new team of judges for the selection of the German Book Prize winner, thus ensuring the greatest possible independence for this award. Other members of the Academy are: Gottfried Honnefelder (president of the German Publishers & Booksellers Association – Börsenverein), Jurgen Boos (director of the Frankfurt Book Fair), Florian Langenscheidt, Jutta Limbach (president of the Goethe-Institut), Matthias Schmolz (publishing management SPIEGEL-Verlag), Ole Schultheis (vice-president of the Börsenverein), Joachim Unseld (chairman of the Börsenverein’s Commercial Publishing Companies Group), Dr. Meike Feßmann (2006 winner of the Alfred Kerr Prize), Dr. Michael Forcher (Haymon Verlag) and Wilfried Weber (Hamburg Bücherstube Felix Jud).

The selection process for the German Book Prize 2006 is now under way. The judges choose the best novel of the year from a total of about 120 works. A good half of the titles are not being published until the summer or autumn of 2006. All the leading literary publishing companies have submitted titles – 47 publishers in Germany, nine in Austria and ten from Switzerland. The longlist of 20 titles will be announced on 18 August 2006. Out of these, the judges will choose six titles for the shortlist, due for publication on 12 September 2006. On the evening of the prize presentation, the six authors find out which of them is to receive the German Book Prize. The judges are John von Düffel (author), Volker Hage (DER SPIEGEL), Elmar Krekeler (Die Welt), Terézia Mora (author), Pia Reinacher (critic), Stephan Samtleben (Buchhandlung Samtleben) and Denis Scheck (Deutschlandfunk).

Launched in 2005, the prize is awarded by the Börsenverein des Deutschen Buchhandels – German Publishers & Booksellers Association –, with total prize money of 37,500 euros. Florian and Gabriele Langenscheidt are partners supporting the German Book Prize, as well as SPIEGEL-Verlag, the Frankfurt Book Fair and Frankfurt City. The radio broadcasters Deutsche Welle provide support for the German Book Prize mainly through media activities abroad. The prize presentation will be held in the Kaisersaal at Frankfurt’s Römer on 2 October 2006 in the immediate run-up to the Frankfurt Book Fair.

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Contact

Deutscher Buchpreis
c/o Börsenverein des Deutschen Buchhandels
Susanne Hilf
Großer Hirschgraben 17-21
60311 Frankfurt am Main
Phone: +49(0)69 / 1306 334
Telefax: +49(0)69 / 1306 294
E-Mail: hilf@boev.de

English Samples of the shortlisted novels

For exclusive sample translations and background information on the shortlisted authors and novels go to: signandsight.com

Press Commentaries 2006

German Book Prize 2006: Press Commentaries

Premio Alemán del Libro.42784.pdf (application/pdf 18.9 KB)