64th Bremen Literature Prize awarded!

to Thomas Lehr on Monday, January 29, 2018 at a .
The author receives the award, worth 25,000 euros, for his
novel “Sleeping Sun,” which was published by Hanser Verlag in 2017.
Jury member Stefan Doubt said in his laudatory speech that Lehr's novel " seduces us to
make a bet after this journey through a century: the bet that this novel of a century
, expanded into a trilogy, will one day be nothing less than: a
novel of the century."

Laura Freudenthaler received the funding prize of 6,000 euros
financed by the ÖVB - Public Insurance Bremen - novel "The Queen is Silent", published by the literary publisher Droschl.
, Wiebke Porombka, jury member of the Bremen Literature Prize, thanked the award winner “ for
her emphatic but unwavering view of people, for her ability
to not only get to the bottom of characters, but to penetrate to their depths
and yet give them their dignity to leave.”

The Senator for Culture, Mayor Dr.
Carsten Sieling emphasized in his speech that literature opens people's eyes and raises doubts about one's own beliefs.
It promotes debate and, like many posts on
social media, does not only serve to confirm one's own worldview.

The prizes were presented by the Chairman of the Rudolf Alexander Schröder Foundation,
former State Secretary Michael Sieber.
The event was accompanied musically by Natalia Mateo (vocals) & Dany Ahmad (guitar).
The musical contribution was made with the kind support of jazzahead! enabled.

Photo: Victor Ströver

January 29, 2018