The , which recognizes the best German-language novel of the year, has been awarded to Swiss author Dorothee Elmiger for her novel “Die Holländerinnen” (The Dutch Women).
“This novel is an event,” praised the jury; “a fascinating journey into the heart of darkness.”
“Die Holländerinnen” follows a theater group’s journey into the South American rainforest to trace the fate of two Dutch backpackers who went missing years earlier.
The novel is written from the perspective of a writer who joins the troupe; their project is to create a play set in the tropics. Just like the jungle-set projects by filmmakers such as Germany’s or , whose ambitious ventures were described as cursed, the expedition spins out of control.
As the narrator documents the discomfort and sense danger she feels in the rainforest, she becomes more and more disoriented, losing her language and sense of self.
“Dorothee Elmiger tells a disturbing story of humans and monsters, of fear and violence, of being lost in the universe and of the failure of narratives,” noted the jury of the German Book Prize. “The deeper they venture into the thicket and mire, the more Elmiger pulls the reader into a vortex of fear,” using a “style is at once distant and yet gripping.”
With this novel, Elmiger wished to reflect on various forms of violence and domination, the author told Swiss weekly Wochenzeitung in September.
“I realized that my text was very dark, even desperate. In that respect, it doesn’t really reflect me. Despite everything, I have a very positive mindset.”
A Swiss literary star
Elmiger, who was born near Zurich in 1985 and lives in New York, is known for her socially critical and poetic texts in which she deals with topics such as capitalism, history and identity.
Her debut novel, “Einladung an die Waghalsigen” (Invitation to the Daredevils), appeared in 2010 and received several prizes.
Her following books, “Shift Sleepers” and “Out of the Sugar Factory” equally earned literary accolades. They were translated into a number of other languages and adapted for the stage.
Top award for the German-language novel of the year
Presented at the , the German Book Prize has been awarded annually since 2005 by the Foundation for Book Culture and Reading Promotion of the German Publishers and Booksellers Association.
Endowed with €25,000 ($29,000), it is considered one of the most important literary accolades for German-language authors.
The five other shortlisted finalists were Kaleb Erdmann for “Die Ausweichschule,” Jehona Kicaj for “ë,” Thomas Melle for “Haus zur Sonne,” Fiona Sironic for “Am Samstag gehen die Mädchen in den Wald und jagen Sachen in die Luft,” and Christine Wunnicke for “Wachs.”
In 2024 won with her novel “Hey, good morning, how are you?.”
Previous winners of the prize include Kim de l’Horizon, and .
Edited by: Kate Hairsine
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