Lutz Seiler awarded the Samuel Bogumił-Linde Prize 2026

This year's Samuel Bogumił-Linde Literary Award, jointly established and presented by the partner cities of Toruń in Poland and Göttingen, will be awarded to the German writer Lutz Seiler and the Polish literary scholar and author Eliza Kącka.

The award, which celebrates its 30th anniversary in 2026, honours authors whose work »creates ideals and values that inspire dialogue among people, societies, and nations« and who have »achieved outstanding accomplishments« through their work. In its statement, the jury praised Lutz Seiler for the »precise language and compelling imagery« of his poetry, as well as for his novel Stern 111, which explores the period of transformation after the fall of the Berlin Wall.

The prize, named after the Polish linguist, was established in 1996 as a Polish-German cultural initiative. It is awarded annually based on nominations by a jury appointed by one of the partner cities, alternating between Toruń and Göttingen each year and is endowed with €5,000 (approx. 21,472 Złoty). Previous recipients include Durs Grünbein (2009), Christoph Hein (2019), Joana Bator (2022), and Marcel Beyer (2023). This year’s Samuel Bogumił Linde Literary Award will be presented during the Toruń Book Festival on Sunday, 22 November 2026, in the presence of both award recipients.