Jury nominates 20 novels

The first phase of the selection process has come to a close. The jury has chosen the 20 novels nominated for the German Book Prize 2011. “The nearly two hundred titles submitted for the German Book Prize 2011 once again illustrate the comprehensiveness of the panorama of contemporary German literature. In our first selection, we have attempted to reflect this spectrum, while taking heed of more esoteric literature and depicting the diversity of voices and narrative styles”, said jury spokeswoman Maike Albath, a journalist for Deutschlandfunk and Deutschlandradio Kultur. “Each book has its own unique way of presenting its subject matter, whether it deals with reassessing the GDR, the German countryside, the exploration of Eastern European relations, seafaring, philosophy, love and relationships, current political escalations or psychological states of emergency. They cover everything, from mundane protocol to colourful realism to impressionistic snapshots. These outtakes from reality span from the heart of Frankfurt to Sweden and even Iran. We are looking forward to the next round”, Albath added. 

Over the last five months, the seven-member jury reviewed 198 titles that were published or will be published between October 2010 and 14 September 2011. 

The nominated novels (in alphabetical order): 

•   Volker Harry Altwasser, Letzte Fischer (Matthes und Seitz Berlin, September 2011)

•   Jan Brandt, Gegen die Welt (DuMont, August 2011)

•   Michael Buselmeier, Wunsiedel (Das Wunderhorn, March 2011)

•   Alex Capus, Léon und Louise (Hanser, February 2011)

•   Wilhelm Genazino, Wenn wir Tiere wären (Hanser, July 2011)

•   Navid Kermani, Dein Name (Hanser, August 2011)

•   Esther Kinsky, Banatsko (Matthes und Seitz Berlin, January 2011)

•   Angelika Klüssendorf, Das Mädchen (Kiepenheuer & Witsch, August 2011)

•   Doris Knecht, Gruber geht (Rowohlt.Berlin, March 2011)

•   Peter Kurzeck, Vorabend (Stroemfeld, March 2011)

•   Ludwig Laher, Verfahren (Haymon, February 2011)

•   Sibylle Lewitscharoff, Blumenberg (Suhrkamp, September 2011)

•   Thomas Melle, Sickster (Rowohlt.Berlin, September 2011)

•   Klaus Modick, Sunset (Eichborn, February 2011)

•   Astrid Rosenfeld, Adams Erbe (Diogenes, February 2011)

•   Eugen Ruge, In Zeiten des abnehmenden Lichts (Rowohlt, September 2011)

•   Judith Schalansky, Der Hals der Giraffe (Suhrkamp, September 2011)

•   Jens Steiner, Hasenleben (Dörlemann, February 2011)

•   Marlene Streeruwitz, Die Schmerzmacherin (S. Fischer, September 2011)

•   Antje Rávic Strubel, Sturz der Tage in die Nacht (S. Fischer, August 2011)

Excerpts from the nominated novels are available for free download at http://www.libreka.de/. They can be downloaded and read on a computer or e-reader. 

In addition to Maike Albath, jury members for the German Book Prize 2011 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 jury’s next step will be to select six titles from the longlist to be included on the shortlist, which will be published on 14 September 2011. The six authors will be informed of the winner of the German Book Prize on the evening of the award ceremony. The winner will receive 25,000 euros; the five finalists will each receive 2,500 euros.  

The German Book Prize is awarded by the Börsenverein des Deutschen Buchhandels Stiftung — the Foundation of the German Publishers and Booksellers Association. Partners of the German Book Prize include Paschen & Companie, the Frankfurter Sparkasse Foundation, 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. The prize will be awarded on 10 October 2011 at the start of the Frankfurt Book Fair in the Kaisersaal of the Frankfurt Römer. The radio stations Deutschlandfunk and Deutschlandradio Kultur will broadcast the ceremony live as part of the “Dokumente und Debatten” programme on LW 153 and 177 kHz, on MW 990 kHz, as a live stream online at http://www.dradio.de/ and on digital satellite radio DAB+. 

To coincide with the announcement of the longlist title nominations, the MVB Marketing- und Verlagsservice des Deutschen Buchhandels GmbH, a subsidiary of the Börsenverein, will publish the “Lesebuch zur Longlist Deutscher Buchpreis 2011” — “Reader for the German Book Prize Longlist 2011”. The book will include reading samples and background information on the novels nominated for the longlist. It will available free of charge next week in many bookstores. For additional information and a photo of the jury, visit www.deutscher-buchpreis.de. Blind Date readings will also be held with the nominees until the end of September. 

Information on the German Book Prize 2011 and on all the Blind Dates can be found at www.deutscher-buchpreis.de. 

Frankfurt am Main, 17 August 2011  

Contact for the media:  
Börsenverein des Deutschen Buchhandels e.V.
Claudia Paul, Director, Press and Public Relations
Telephone +49 (0) 69 1306-293, E-mail: paul@boev.de
Johannes Neufeld, Press Assistant
Telephone +49 (0) 69 1306-292, E-mail: neufeld@boev.de