Kim de l’Horizon won the 2022 German Book Prize for her novel “Blutbuch” (DuMont).
Statement from the jury:
“With immense creative energy, the non-binary narrator of Kim de l’Horizon’s novel ‘Blutbuch’ (‘The Book of Blood’) seeks out their own language. What narratives exist for a body that transcends conventional notions of gender? The fixing point of the story is Kim’s own grandmother – ‘Großmeer’ (literally ‘big sea’) in Bernese German – in the ocean that Kim risked drowning as a child and now they are free swimming. through articles. The form of the novel is in constant motion. Every linguistic endeavor, from vivid scenes to essay-like memoirs, reveals a literary urgency and renewal that challenged and inspired the judges.”
The jury members for the 2022 German Book Prize are: jury spokesman Miriam Zeh (Deutschlandfunk Kultur), Erich Klein (independent reviewer, Vienna), Frank Menden (bookstore “story! Die Buchhandlung”) , Hamburg), Uli Ormanns (bookstore “Agnes Buchhandlung”, Cologne), Isabelle Vonlanthen (Literaturhaus Zürich), Selma Wels (curator and operator, Frankfurt) and Jan Wiele (Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung).
Other novels shortlisted for the award are:
Fatma Aydemir: Dschinn (Carl Hanser, February 2022), Kristine Bilkau: Nebenan (Luchterhand, March 2022), Daniela Dröscher: Lugen über meine Mutter (Kiepenheuer & Witsch, August 2022), Jan Faktor: Trottel (Kiepenheuer & Witsch, September 2022) and Eckhart Nickel: Spitzweg (Piper, April 2022).
With the German Book Prize 2022, Stiftung Buchkultur und Leseförderung des Börsenverein des Deutschen Buchhandels (Book Culture and Reading Promotion Fund of the Association of German Booksellers and Publishers) honored the best German-language novel of the year. 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 Deutsche Welle television network supports the German Book Awards in its domestic and foreign media activities.
A press photo of Kim de l’Horizon will be available for download for approx. 8:30pm at www.boersenverein.de/pressefotos.
Contact for the media:
Börsenverin des Deutschen Buchhandels eV
Thomas KochHead of Press and Public Relations
TEL. +49 (0) 69 1306-293, e-mail: [email protected]
Marie BohlkePR Director
TEL. +49 (0) 69 1306-292, e-mail: [email protected]
