Ceremony October 13th 2025
16.09.2025
Six novels on the shortlist
© Christof Jakob
The jury has shortlisted the following six novels for the German Book Prize 2025:
- Dorothee Elmiger: Die Holländerinnen (Carl Hanser Verlag, August 2025)
- Kaleb Erdmann: Die Ausweichschule (park x ullstein, July 2025)
- Jehona Kicaj: ë (Wallstein Verlag, July 2025)
- Thomas Melle: Haus zur Sonne (Verlag Kiepenheuer & Witsch, August 2025)
- Fiona Sironic: Am Samstag gehen die Mädchen in den Wald und jagen Sachen in die Luft (Ecco Verlag, March 2025)
- Christine Wunnicke: Wachs (Berenberg Verlag, March 2025)
Regarding this selection, jury spokesperson Laura de Weck (Schweizer Radio und Fernsehen) states: “It’s no coincidence that the 2025 shortlist peers into psychological, social and political abysses: whether tentatively, meditatively, with humour or with radicalism, the works are always deeply literary. As different as their narrative voices and styles may be, the novels seem to converse with one another – around themes such as violence, but also tenderness. In Kicaj’s novel, war crimes still grind between people’s teeth decades later; in Erdmann’s, a shooting spree alters the psychology of an entire city; and Melle’s manic literary ride asks how self-determined modern humans really are. Sironic tackles the deepening climate crisis with both verve and love, while Wunnicke follows two women in pre-revolutionary France who flout every convention, and Elmiger paints the darkness that closes in when women suddenly disappear. Sound bleak? Not at all. Every book on this shortlist is a liberating experience.”
Since the submission process began, the seven members of the jury have reviewed 229 titles published between October 2024 and 16 September 2025.
The award ceremony will be broadcast live from the Kaisersaal of the Frankfurt Römer on 13 October 2025 to coincide with the start of Frankfurter Buchmesse. Those interested can watch the award ceremony via live stream at www.deutscher-buchpreis.de.
Further information on the titles including jury comments and audio samples can be found on the nominees page, image and information material under downloads.
© Christof Jakob