The Bremen Literature Prize goes to Arno Geiger

Arno Geiger receives the Bremen Literature Prize 2019 for his novel "Unter der Drachenwand" published by Hanser Literaturverlag.

The jury explained its decision: “Arno Geiger receives the 2019 Bremen Literature Prize for his novel ‘Unter der Drachenwand’ (Under the Dragon Wall), which stands out among the series of contemporary historical panoramas of the Nazi era: as an exceptionally precise, nuanced, and vivid portrayal of the war year 1944. Deep in the provinces, a young soldier from Vienna, scarred in body and soul, becomes aware of his entanglement in collective guilt and, surrounded by a chorus of voices drawn from the wealth of immense research, experiences a love story as a refuge from the tyranny of the military system, the all-powerful dragon.”

Arno Geiger was born in 1968 in Bregenz, Vorarlberg, Austria. He has lived as a freelance writer in Vienna since 1993. His debut novel, "Kleine Schule des Karussellfahrens" (Little School of Carousel Riding), was published in 1997. Arno Geiger formulates the following as a guiding principle of his understanding of art and life: "Art does not protect humanity from chaos, but from order. Art protects the individual from a one-dimensional perspective. Human beings are unique not in a simple way, but in a complex one."

Heinz Helle receives the Bremen Literature Prize 2019 Advancement Award for his novel "Die Überwindung der Schwerkraft" (Overcoming Gravity), published by Suhrkamp. The Advancement Award has been funded by ÖVB – Öffentliche Versicherung Bremen (Public Insurance Bremen) since 2005.

The jury explained its decision: “The prize goes to Heinz Helle for his novel ‘Overcoming Gravity’. In prose that is as evocative as it is precise, Helle tells the story of two very different brothers. Helle’s expansive language transforms the pull of destruction, in which one of them disappears, into a tender image of memory.”

Heinz Helle was born in Munich in 1978, studied philosophy in Munich and New York, and is a graduate of the Swiss Literature Institute. He currently lives in Zurich. His debut novel, "The Soothing Sound of Exploding Kerosene," was met with consistently positive reviews.

The jury for the Bremen Literature Prize 2019 met with the following members: Dr. Stefan Zweifel, Richard Kämmerlings, Barbara Lison, Dr. Lothar Müller, Dr. Wiebke Porombka, Dr. Daniela Strigl, Michael Sieber.

October 19, 2018