The Bremen Literature Prize 2018 goes to Thomas Lehr
Thomas Lehr receives the 2018 Bremen Literature Prize, worth 25,000 euros, for his novel “Sleeping Sun”, published by Hanser Verlag.
The jury explains the award:
“The Bremen Literature Prize 2018 goes to Thomas Lehr for his novel “Sleeping Sun”, which accompanies his characters with great narrative power and linguistic daring through the catastrophic landscapes of the twentieth century from the First World War to the fall of the Berlin Wall right up to the present day and through the historical upheavals their reflection in art, philosophy and natural sciences illuminates.”
Thomas Lehr , born in Speyer in 1957, initially studied biochemistry before devoting himself entirely to writing. He has received numerous awards for his extensive work, most recently the Berlin Literature Prize (2011), the Marie-Luise Kaschnitz Prize (2012) and the Joseph Breitbach Prize (2015). His last novel “Sleeping Sun” (2017) was on the shortlist for the German Book Prize. Thomas Lehr lives in Berlin.
Laura Freudenthaler received the sponsorship award for the Bremen Literature Prize 2018 for her debut novel “The Queen is Silent”, published by the Droschl literary publisher. The funding award of 6,000 euros has been financed by ÖVB – Public Insurance Bremen since 2005.
The jury explains the award:
“Laura Freudenthaler was awarded the Bremen Literature Prize sponsorship prize for “The Queen is Silent”. A quiet, concentrated novel that lets an old woman, who resists remembering and telling stories, look back on her life marked by losses. Freudenthaler draws a haunting portrait of a generation that led a seemingly unspectacular existence, but in which the great story is actually hidden.”
Laura Freudenthaler , born in Salzburg in 1984, studied German, philosophy and gender studies. The stories “The Skull of Madeleine. Couple Stories” was published in 2014. “The Queen is Silent” is her debut novel. Laura Freudenthaler lives in Vienna.
The jury for the Bremen Literature Prize 2018 met with the following members:
Dr. Wiebke Porombka, Dr. Daniela Strigl, Barbara Lison, Michael Sieber, Dr. Stephan Doubt, Richard Kämmerlings and Dr. Lothar Müller.
Award ceremony:
The prizes will be awarded on January 29, 2018 in Bremen Town Hall. On the evening before the award ceremony, a moderated reading by the two award winners will take place.
In the context of the award ceremony, the 42nd Bremen Literary Week take place - this year with the theme “Origin & Identity – Life Balances in Literature, Art & Film”.
The Bremen Literature Prize is one of the oldest and most important literary prizes in the Federal Republic. It was first awarded in 1954. In addition, a sponsorship award has been awarded since 1977, which has been financed by ÖVB - Public Insurance Bremen .
Further information about the Bremen Literature Prize: www.ras-stiftung.de
October 18, 2017