Dana Vowinckel Wins the 2024 »Text & Sprache« Prize
News21.05.2024
Dana Vowinckel has won the 2024 Literature Prize of the Kulturkreis der deutschen Wirtschaft »Text & Sprache« for her novel The World in a Ziplock Bag.
The Kulturkreis der deutschen Wirtschaft has been awarding literary and cultural prizes since 1953. Previous winners include Günter Grass, Robert Menasse, Marion Poschmann, and Clemens J. Setz.
In their remarks on the decision, the jury stated: “In Dana Vowinckel, we are awarding the prize to an authentic young voice in contemporary literature. With her debut novel, The World in a Ziplock Bag, she tackles topics such as identity, homeland, the body, and the experience of growing up. Together with Margarita, we experience the difficult bodily world of a teenager as she grows up and tries to find her place in the world. The daughter of an Israeli father and an American mother, Margarita grows up with her father in Berlin. Her father, Avi, a cantor in their local Jewish community, is the second striking voice in the novel. The reader follows the depths and contradictions of a family with a highly complex identity set against the backdrops of Chicago, Jerusalem, Tel Aviv, and Berlin. In clear and moving language, Vowinckel sketches out complex characters that remain in the mind of the reader. Though she touches upon themes that are highly politically relevant today, she never draws boundaries, instead simply invites people to identify with the people she depicts in such elaborate detail.
The award comes with a cash prize of €20,000, and aims to support authors and playwrights through collaborations with theatres and other partners. For the first time in the history of the prize, the authors were given the chance to stage a dramatized reading of their work with the ensemble of the Münchner Kammerspiele. In accompanying conversations with the literary critic Miryam Schallbach, the finalists offered a direct glimpse into their writing and their way of thinking, giving the audience an opportunity to hear them speak about their work in an intimate setting. This was followed by vibrant discussion among the jury, which was headed by Dr. Marcella Prior-Callwey, before they ultimately decided to award the prize to Dana Vowinckel.
For more information on The World in a Ziplock Bag, contact the foreign rights manager for your region.
The Kulturkreis der deutschen Wirtschaft has been awarding literary and cultural prizes since 1953. Previous winners include Günter Grass, Robert Menasse, Marion Poschmann, and Clemens J. Setz.
In their remarks on the decision, the jury stated: “In Dana Vowinckel, we are awarding the prize to an authentic young voice in contemporary literature. With her debut novel, The World in a Ziplock Bag, she tackles topics such as identity, homeland, the body, and the experience of growing up. Together with Margarita, we experience the difficult bodily world of a teenager as she grows up and tries to find her place in the world. The daughter of an Israeli father and an American mother, Margarita grows up with her father in Berlin. Her father, Avi, a cantor in their local Jewish community, is the second striking voice in the novel. The reader follows the depths and contradictions of a family with a highly complex identity set against the backdrops of Chicago, Jerusalem, Tel Aviv, and Berlin. In clear and moving language, Vowinckel sketches out complex characters that remain in the mind of the reader. Though she touches upon themes that are highly politically relevant today, she never draws boundaries, instead simply invites people to identify with the people she depicts in such elaborate detail.
The award comes with a cash prize of €20,000, and aims to support authors and playwrights through collaborations with theatres and other partners. For the first time in the history of the prize, the authors were given the chance to stage a dramatized reading of their work with the ensemble of the Münchner Kammerspiele. In accompanying conversations with the literary critic Miryam Schallbach, the finalists offered a direct glimpse into their writing and their way of thinking, giving the audience an opportunity to hear them speak about their work in an intimate setting. This was followed by vibrant discussion among the jury, which was headed by Dr. Marcella Prior-Callwey, before they ultimately decided to award the prize to Dana Vowinckel.
For more information on The World in a Ziplock Bag, contact the foreign rights manager for your region.