Kim de l’Horizon brings the German Book Prize 2022 to Switzerland

Kim de l’Horizon’s debut novel is about the resentment that is circulating about the queer community. In “Blood Book”, de l’Horizon describes what it’s like to be trapped in a non-binary field. For this, Kim de l’Horizon received the German Book Prize on Monday in Frankfurt am Main.

“With enormous creative energy, the non-binary narrative character (…) searches for its own language,” explains the jury: “Every attempt at language, from the plastic scene to the essay-like memoir, unfolds an urgency and literary innovative strength that allowed the jury to provoke and inspire.”

At the awards ceremony in Frankfurt am Main, Kim de l’Horizon dedicated the award to “Women in Iran” and shaved her hair off at the lectern, which received a standing ovation.

The German Book Prize is one of the most important awards in the industry and has been awarded since 2005. According to the jury, a total of 233 titles have been viewed for the current issue. Last year it went to the writer Antje Rávik Strubel for her novel “Blaue Frau”. After Melinda Nadj Abonji, Kim de l’Horizon is only the second person from Switzerland to win the German Book Prize. The Zurich writer received the award in 2010 for her novel Tauben flew up.

The German Book Prize is one of the most important awards in the industry and has been awarded since 2005. According to the jury, a total of 233 titles have been viewed for the current issue. Last year it went to the writer Antje Rávik Strubel for her novel “Blaue Frau”.

The prize is endowed with a total of 37,500 euros: the winner will receive 25,000 euros, the other authors on the shortlist will receive 2,500 euros each. The last prizes this year go to Fatma Aydemir (“Dschinns”), Kristine Bilkau (“Next Door”), Daniela Dröscher (“Lies about my mother”), Jan Factor (“Idiot”) and Eckhart Nickel (“Spitzweg”) . (chm) (aargauerzeitung.ch)