The literature award, endowed with 25,000 euros, was awarded for the first time this year according to a points system. The Deutschlandfunk Prize (EUR 12,500) went to the Berlin-born Romanian Alexandru Bulucz, who praised the jury in the winner’s interview. The German sociologist Juan S. Guse, who was last traded as a favorite, received the Kelag Prize (10,000 euros). Leon Engler, a German by choice, received the 3sat prize (7,500 euros).
Audience award for Elias Hirschl
In addition to these prizes, which were awarded by a seven-person jury, there was also the BKS Bank Public Prize (7,000 euros plus a town clerk’s grant), for which voting was possible online on Saturday afternoon. The young Viennese Elias Hirschl won it.
After two years of being completely or partially outsourced to the internet due to the pandemic, the Days of German-language Literature brought everyone together again this year: 14 authors, the jury and the audience. The atmosphere at the five-day literary event was extremely good. It remains to be seen whether innovations such as the spatial spread of readings and jury discussions as well as the new allocation method will remain.
Source: Nachrichten
