German Book Prize 2022: Six novels chosen as finalists

The jury has selected the following six novels for the shortlist of the German Book Prize 2022: 

•    Fatma Aydemir: Dschinns (Carl Hanser, February 2022)
•    Kristine Bilkau: Nebenan (Luchterhand, March 2022)
•    Daniela Dröscher: Lügen über meine Mutter (Kiepenheuer & Witsch, August 2022)
•    Jan Faktor: Trottel (Kiepenheuer & Witsch, September 2022)
•    Kim de l’Horizon: Blutbuch (DuMont, July 2022)
•    Eckhart Nickel: Spitzweg (Piper, April 2022)

Regarding this selection, jury spokesperson Miriam Zeh, Deutschlandfunk Kultur, says: “A novel makes its own laws but is inevitably in contact with the present in which it is written and read. All six titles on the 2022 shortlist won us over with their aesthetic uniqueness. With linguistic brilliance and formal innovation, they describe social realities and fantasies, survey the centre and margins, and circle around sorrow and comedy.
The nominated authors thus represent the thematic and stylistic diversity of contemporary German-language literature. What they share is an artistic unconditionality: they take a stand with their books, show themselves to be at once combative and open to dialogue. By reading these shortlisted books, we invite readers to also enter into an exchange of ideas and to readjust their own views of the world.”

Since the submission process began, the seven members of the jury have reviewed 233 titles published between October 2021 and 20 September 2022. 
In addition to Miriam Zeh, the members of the jury are: Erich Klein (independent critic, Vienna), Frank Menden (bookshop “stories! Die Buchhandlung”, Hamburg), Uli Ormanns (bookshop “Agnes Buchhandlung”, Cologne), Isabelle Vonlanthen (Literaturhaus Zürich), Selma Wels (curator and moderator, Frankfurt) and Jan Wiele (Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung).

The Stiftung Buchkultur und Leseförderung des Börsenverein des Deutschen Buchhandels (Foundation for Book Culture and the Promotion of Reading of the German Publishers and Booksellers Association) will award the German Book Prize 2022 to the best German-language novel of the year. The winner will receive 25,000 euros, the five finalists 2,500 euros each. The award ceremony will be broadcast live from the Kaisersaal of the Frankfurt Römer on 17 October 2022 to coincide with the start of Frankfurter Buchmesse. Those interested can watch the award ceremony via live stream at www.deutscher-buchpreis.de.

The radio stations Deutschlandfunk and Deutschlandfunk Kultur will also broadcast the ceremony live via the special “Dokumente und Debatten” channel on digital radio and as a live stream on Dokumente und Debatten | deutschlandradio.de.

The Deutsche Bank Stiftung (Deutsche Bank Foundation) is the main sponsor of the German Book Prize, and Frankfurter Buchmesse and the city of Frankfurt am Main are also partners. The television network Deutsche Welle supports the German Book Prize in its media activities both at home and abroad.

Starting on 4 October 2022, the website www.new-books-in-german.com will feature English translations of excerpts from the shortlisted titles, along with an English-language dossier about the shortlist.

To give an idea of the nominated works and their authors, video portraits are available on the website and social media channels of the German Book Prize.

The hashtag for the German Book Prize is #dbp22

Downloads
Press photo and information about the nominated titles for download

Frankfurt am Main, 20 September 2022