German Book Prize 2023: six novels on the shortlist

The jury has selected the following six novels for the shortlist of the German Book Prize 2023:

• Terézia Mora: Muna oder Die Hälfte des Lebens (Luchterhand Literaturverlag, August 2023) 
• Necati Öziri: Vatermal (claassen, July 2023) 
• Anne Rabe: Die Möglichkeit von Glück (Klett-Cotta, March 2023) 
• Tonio Schachinger: Echtzeitalter (Rowohlt Verlag, March 2023) 
• Sylvie Schenk: Maman (Carl Hanser Verlag, February 2023) 
• Ulrike Sterblich: Drifter (Rowohlt Hundert Augen, July 2023)

Regarding this selection, jury spokesperson Katharina Teutsch (independent critic) says: “Six novels that, at first glance, have nothing to do with each other. They are set in different times, describe different milieus in different countries, and each one finds the most convincing means of expressing its respective world. But if you put these six novels side by side, they inevitably enter into a conversation with each other. This conversation is about the things that shape us: about our upbringings and social origins, political ideologies, dramatic changes in governing systems, and the hardships of migration – in other words, about everything that makes up our present and challenges it. The shortlisted authors write about it with such acuity, as well as wit and warmth, that reading these books leaves us asking ourselves not only where we come from, but also where we want to go.”

Since the submission process began, the seven members of the jury have reviewed 196 titles published between October 2022 and 19 September 2023. In addition to Katharina Teutsch, the members of the jury are: Shila Behjat (journalist and publicist), Heinz Drügh (Goethe University Frankfurt am Main), Melanie Mühl (Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung), Lisa Schumacher (bookshop “Steinmetz’sche Buchhandlung”, Offenbach), Florian Valerius (bookshop “Gegenlicht Buchhandlung”, Trier) and Matthias Weichelt (Sinn und Form literary journal).

The Stiftung Buchkultur und Leseförderung des Börsenvereins 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 2023 to the best German-language novel of the year. The winner will receive 25,000 euros, the five finalists 2,500 euros each. The awards ceremony will take place in the Kaisersaal of the Frankfurt Römer on 16 October 2023, to coincide with the start of the Frankfurter Buchmesse, and will be broadcast live. Those interested can watch the award ceremony at www.deutscher-buchpreis.de.

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

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 2023, 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. 

The hashtag for the German Book Prize is #dbp23

Downloads
Press photo and information about the nominated titles for download