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The 2025 jurors for the German Book Prize are, from left, Laura de Weck; Kathrin Matern; Friedhelm Marx; Shirin Sojitrawalla; J\u00fcrgen Kaube; Maria Carolina Foi; and Lara Sielmann. Image: B\u00f6rsenverein des Deutschen Buchhandels, Mo W\u00fcstenhagen<\/p>\n
By Porter Anderson, Editor-in-Chief | @Porter_Anderson<\/a><\/p>\n A Winner Is To Be Named on October 13 in Frankfurt In releasing today\u2019s shortlist, the jury chair, Laura de Weck, is quoted, saying, \u201cOur jury discussions in the fragile year of 2025 were guided by creative language, narrative perspective, and the alarming reality of the present.<\/p>\n \u201cUncertainty defines our times. Yet one thing is certain: this year\u2019s longlist brings together 20 outstanding novels that reflect the full spectrum of our precarious reality\u2014through classical storytelling, tapestries of speech, and unruly lists; through historical panoramas, contemporary observations, and dystopias; through autobiographical and fantastical tales.<\/p>\n \u201cThe titles include debuts and established voices\u2014authors who use absurdity to entertain and unsettle us. How in the world did we get to where we are today? And what are these conditions doing to us? We have every reason to be worried about the future, but not about literature.\u201d<\/p>\n The German Book Prize 2025 Longlist<\/p>\n In addition to the \u20ac25,000 winner\u2019s prize, each of the remaining five finalists in this contest receives \u20ac2,500 (US$2,911).<\/p>\n Last Year\u2019s Winner: Klett-Cotta\u2019s Martina Hefter<\/p>\n The Klett-Cotta author Martina Hefter has won the 20th German Book Prize\u00a0for her novel,\u00a0Hey guten Morgen, wie geht es dir?<\/a>\u00a0(Hey, Good Morning, How Are You?). from Klett-Cotta (July 2024).<\/p>\n \u201cDuring sleepless nights she chats with a Nigerian love scammer who is after her money. The question arises as to who is exploiting whom here, and what happens when, contrary to expectations, the boundaries between digital games and real affection become blurred.<\/p>\n \u201cIn a fascinating way, the novel combines grueling everyday life with mythological figures and cosmic dimensions. It navigates between melancholy and euphoria, reflects on trust and on deception. Martina Hefter tells all of this in her cleverly choreographed novel, which exerts a very special attraction.\u201d<\/p>\n The German Book Prize is awarded by the Stiftung Buchkultur und Lesef\u00f6rderung des B\u00f6rsenverein des Deutschen Buchhandels\u2014the Foundation for Book Culture and the Promotion of Reading of the German Publishers and Booksellers Association.<\/p>\n The main sponsor of the prize is the Deutsche Bank Stiftung (Deutsche Bank Foundation). Frankfurter Buchmesse and the city of Frankfurt am Main are also partners.<\/p>\n More from Publishing Perspectives on the German Book Prize is\u00a0here<\/a>, more on publishing and book awards in general is here<\/a>, and more on the German book market is here<\/a>.<\/p>\n Wherever our international readers are in the world, they use our free daily email<\/a> to be sure they don\u2019t miss a story.\u00a0 Sign up now<\/a>.<\/p>\n About the AuthorPorter Anderson Facebook<\/a> Twitter<\/a><\/p>\n
\nSubmitted by 124 publishers, the original pool of 229 novels vying for the 2025 edition of the \u20ac25,000 (US$29,127) German Book Prize<\/a> has today (August 19) announced its 2025 longlist.<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/German-Book-Prize-2025-logo-lined-ftw.jpg\"){kind=logo}
Among the world\u2019s longest annual longlists amid the international industry\u2019s myriad awards programs<\/a> for books and publishing, the 20-title list is expected to be reduced to a six-title shortlist on September 16. Again this year, the winner is to be named near the start of Frankfurter Buchmesse<\/a> (October 15 to 19) on October 13 during a ceremony in the Kaisersaal of the Frankfurt R\u00f6mer.<\/p>\n\n
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The jury\u2019s rationale for its choice of Hefter\u2019s book reads, \u201cThe protagonist in Martina Hefter\u2019s\u00a0Hey, Good Morning, How Are You?\u00a0is in her mid-50s, leads a precarious life as a performance artist in Leipzig, and cares for her husband who suffers from multiple sclerosis.<\/p>\n\n