Juno, the lead character in Martina Hefter’s “Hey guten morgen, wie geht es dir?” (Hey greetings, exactly how are you?) is an efficiency musician in her mid-50s staying in Leipzig, that cares for her hubby that has numerous sclerosis. On sleep deprived evenings, she talks with a Nigerian enjoy fraudster, Benu, that intends to wool her. Eventually, the concern develops regarding that is manipulating whom– and what takes place when, in contrast to assumptions, lines blur in between electronic and real-life partnerships.
In granting the 2024 German Book Prize to Hefter, the court claimed: “The novel combines grueling everyday life with mythological figures and cosmic dimensions in a fascinating way, navigating between melancholy and euphoria, reflecting on trust and deception. Martina Hefter tells of all this in her cleverly choreographed novel, which exerts its very own attraction.”
The 59-year-old Hefter has actually released 5 quantities of verse and 3 stories to day. Hailing from Pfronten in Bavaria, she had actually additionally won the Grand Prize of the German Literature Fund this pastAugust Like her lead character, she is additionally a professional dancer and efficiency musician. Another biographical aspect in the tale is that her very own hubby, writer Jan Kuhlbrodt, is additionally seriously unwell.
‘We need to be watchful’
Visibly shocked at being proclaimed the victor, Martina Hefter devoted her reward to her visitors, remembering warm memories of numerous discussions she’s contended her publication analyses.
She additionally consisted of a political element in her approval speech. Without specifically calling German reactionary event AfD, she decried the reality that many individuals she spoke with while investigating her publication really feel endangered by “a certain party, who deems they should not actually be here [in Germany] because they perhaps don’t have the right skin color, live with a disability or don’t identify with a specific gender.”
“We have to be vigilant, we can be loud and we have to intervene,” Hefter worried.
Other faves in the shortlist
The winning title was identified in numerous option phases. Since the begin of the competitors, the 7 court participants examined 196 titles released in between October 2023 and September 2024. A longlist of 20 titles was assembled from these stories, which was after that trimmed to a shortlist of 6.
Shortlisted functions seen by movie critics as faves in advance of the honors event consisted of Clemens Meyer for “Die Projektoren” (The Projectionists) and Ronya Othmann for “Vierundsiebzig” (Seventy-Four).
Described as a legendary story regarding Europe’s situations and the art of narration, Meyer’s anti-violence and anti-war “Die Projektoren” explores the lives of people in post-reunification Germany, highlighting the socio-economic difficulties and social changes they deal with.
Meyer formerly gotten Man Booker International elections for the English translations of 2 earlier jobs, while his publications have actually been equated, to name a few right into Turkish, Croatian, Japanese, Arabic, Macedonian and Tamil.
Ronya Othmann was birthed in Munich in 1993 to a Kurdish-Yazidi dad and a German mom. Her 2nd 500-page book, “Vierundsiebzig,” records exactly how the the terrorist company IS subjected Yazidis in the Shingal location in Iraq to mass murders, required conversions, the kidnapping of young kids and the sex-related slavery of hundreds of females and women. Othman defines the numerous mistreatments dealt with by the Yazidis over the centuries; guide’s title describes the 74th traditionally videotaped mass murder of the area that occurred in 2014. Addressing problems of movement and combination, her publication gives an emotional take a look at the experiences of immigrants inGermany
Overlooked German writers
The German Book Prize has actually periodically ignored German writers that later on accomplished worldwide recognition.
Jenny Erpenbeck’s “Kairos” was a bestseller in Germany when it was released in 2021 however really did not make it for theGerman Book Prize However, its equated variation took place to win the International Booker Prize in 2024.
Similarly, Daniel Kehlmann, whose unique “Measuring the World” was not granted the German Book Prize, obtained prevalent recognition and countless worldwide honors. It was equated right into greater than 40 languages and has actually been called among the greatest successes in post-war German literary works.
The German Book Prize is a distinguished literary honor provided each year to the most effective German- language book of the year. It is granted by the German Publishers and Booksellers Association.
While the victor obtains EUR25,000 ($ 27,250) in cash prize, the 5 finalists will certainly each obtain EUR2,500.
The reward intends to highlight impressive modern German- language literary works and to advertise analysis and publication society. It is generally granted at the beginning of the Frankfurt Book Fair, among the globe’s biggest publication fairs.
Edited by: Elizabeth Grenier
