Maike Albath selected as jury spokeswoman

Maike Albath, journalist for Deutschlandfunk and DeutschlandRadio Kultur, has been selected as the spokeswoman for the 2011 German Book Prize jury. She was chosen by the seven-member jury, which will now begin its selection process for the winner of the German Book Prize 2011. In addition to Maike Albath, jury members include Gregor Dotzauer (Der Tagesspiegel), Ulrike Draesner (author), Clemens-Peter Haase (Goethe Institute), Ina Hartwig (independent critic), Christine Westermann (Westdeutscher Rundfunk) and Uwe Wittstock (Focus).

The 20-title longlist will be announced on 17 August 2011. From this list, the jurors will then choose six titles for the shortlist, which will be published on 14 September 2011. On 10 October, the evening of the award ceremony, the six authors will be informed of the winner of the German Book Prize.

The German Book Prize is awarded by the Börsenverein des Deutschen Buchhandels Stiftung – the Foundation of the German Publishers and Booksellers Association - and features prize winnings of 37,500 euros. Partners of the German Book Prize include Paschen & Companie, the 1822 Foundation of the Frankfurter Sparkasse, the Frankfurt Book Fair and the city of Frankfurt am Main. The television station Deutsche Welle serves as a media partner for the German Book Prize both at home and abroad.

For information on the German Book Prize 2011 and a photo of this year’s jury, please visit www.deutscher-buchpreis.de.

Frankfurt am Main, 19 April 2011