![]() On a long trip to Portugal, he decides to reorganize his life and goes on a journey to the sea - and to himself. The long-distance marriage and troubles at the university cause the professor to stumble. The professor's grown-up daughter has moved out and his wife has a new job in another city. ![]() Stephan Thome Image: HeikeSteinweg / Suhrkamp Verlag Stephan Thome was also shortlisted for the German Book Prize in 2009 and is back with his second novel, "Fliehkräfte." Born in 1972, the trained Sinologist portrays the mid-life crisis of a philosophy professor in his latest book. Stephan Thome: "Fliehkräfte" (Centrifugal Forces), Suhrkamp Verlag The Graz-based author plays with identities, including his own, and the result is daring tale that will surprise readers. ![]() One young math teacher, named Clemens Setz, starts doing research on the illness and is promptly fired. In his newest novel, a puzzling disease - indigo syndrome - plagues a boarding school and students disappear in mysterious ways. ![]() Setz Image: Paul Schirnhofer / Suhrkamp Verlag Setz is the youngest of this year's nominees, but was shortlisted once before, in 2009. Setz has been heralded in the press as the "wunderkind" of contemporary Austrian literature. Setz: "Indigo," Suhrkamp VerlagĪt 29, Clemens J. "Landgericht" takes the shine off of Germany's economic miracle and shows the tiny cracks hiding behind it.Ĭlemens J. In 1950s Germany, in the middle of a post-war economic boom, there was no room for such a family still working through the trials of the previous decade. Like a kaleidoscope, Krechel draws together the various aspects of the protagonists' life: his lonely wife, left behind in Germany, a man who can no longer deal with daily life, and distant children who live with foster parents in Great Britain. Ursula Krechel Image: Alexander Paul Englert Both his homeland and his family have become unfamiliar to him. After years in exile in Cuba, a Jewish judge returns to Germany after World War II. Her second novel, "Landgericht," explores Germany's past. Ursula Krechel, mainly known as a poet, is the only woman on the shortlist this year. Ursula Krechel: "Landgericht" (District Court), Jung und Jung Verlag "Sand" has already claimed the Leipzig Book Prize this year - a second major award would be sensational. The author has withdrawn from the public spotlight since being diagnosed with a brain tumor, but has continued working. In a story that fits somewhere between flower-power romanticism and espionage, Herrndorf depicts the vastness of the desert. Elderly eccentrics, mysterious women and a man who has lost his memory appear on the scene. Wolfgang Herrndorf Image: picture-alliance/dpaĪ murder takes place in a hippie community. His roadmovie novel "Tschick" was a best-seller, and "Sand," set somewhere in the Maghreb region of North Africa in 1972, is its grim counterpart. Wolfgang Herrndorf, born in 1965, is celebrated as one of the best writers of his generation. Wolfgang Herrndorf: "Sand," Rowohlt Berlin Robinson is a driven maverick whose life shifts between truth and delusion.Ī mysteriously told tale, Augustin's novel contains false floors and trap doors, leading the reader through a labyrinth there to get lost in. From New York to Warsaw, he has set up tiny rooms where he disappears into the virtual world. The main character is a crafty banker with plenty of experience in risky transactions and, as a result, is on the run. Ernst Augustin Image: picture-alliance/dpa ![]() In his most recent novel, the Munich-based author and psychiatrist accompanies a modern-day Robinson on his travels through time and space. Beck VerlagĪt the age of 84, Ernst Augustin is the eldest nominee on the shortlist and one of the most important writers of the fantasy genre. The jury focused on well established, if not world-famous authors - except for one recognized best-selling writer.Įrnst Augustin: "Robinsons blaues Haus" (Robinson's Blue House), C.H. Two of the nominees have already been shortlisted for the prize. The big surprise this year is that not a single debut author is on the shortlist. In addition to insightful family novels, experimental adventure stories also dominate the shortlist.Ī jury of literary critics reviewed 162 recently published German-language novels and selected their favorite six. Among them are stories of those who break away and those who return home. From Portugal to Cuba to the Maghreb region, the books nominated for this year's German Book Prize take us to all corners of the world. ![]()
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