Prize of the Leipzig Book Fair 2023: Nominations for Setz, Steidele, Amlinger & Nachtwey

Clemens J. Setz, Angela Steidele, Carolin Amlinger and Oliver Nachtwey have been nominated for the Prize of the Leipzig Book Fair 2023.

Clemens J. Setz has been selected for the shortlist in the category »Literary Fiction« with his novel Moons before the Landing. The jury states: »The focus of Moons before the Landing is not a simple contrarian, nor is he merely an obsessed disciple of the Hollow World Theory; he is a man who is happy sticking with himself and his world view yet is damaged and lonely at the same time. In his pointed perspective – complemented and refracted by the character of his companion – the brutality of his era as well as that of the present is reflected almost casually. A great achievement, especially in terms of the possibilities of the historical novel.«
Setz has previously won the prize in this category with his collection of short stories Love in the Times of the Mahlstädter Child (2011).

With her novel Enlightenment, Angela Steidele is also nominated in the »Literary Fiction« category. According to the jury, »hardly anything is known about Dorothea Bach – Angela Steidele has turned her into a storyteller. In Enlightenment she recalls her misunderstood friend Luise Gottsched. This is not just a book of and about the Enlightenment, but also a highly contemporary one, as it deals with issues like freedom of expression and equal rights. An outstanding combination of precise historical research and clever and witty fiction.«

Carolin Amlinger and Oliver Nachtwey have been shortlisted in the category »Non-Fiction / Essay« with Offended Freedom. Aspects of Libertarian Authoritarianism. The jury explains its decision as follows: »Offended Freedom is what we need at this time: it formulates theories on the current condition of society based on empirical research. One of the merits of Carolin Amlinger and Oliver Nachtwey’s study is that although they focus on a specific spectrum of society, their theses can be generalised and applied to society as a whole. Never condescending in tone but always fundamentally interested, their book contributes to an objectification of the debate.«

The Prize of the Leipzig Book Fair, endowed with an overall prize money of 60,000 Euro, has been awarded at the start of the Leipzig Book Fair since 2005. The jury selects five exceptional recent publications in each of the categories (»Literary Fiction«, »Non-Fiction / Essay« and »Translation«). Previous winners in »Literary Fiction« include: Sibylle Lewitscharoff, Esther Kinsky, Lutz Seiler, Terézia Mora and Saša Stanišić. Previous winners in »Non-Fiction / Essay« include: Helmut Lethen, Philipp Ther, Heike Behrend and Uljana Wolf.

The prize ceremony will be held on April 27 at the Leipzig Book Fair.

For more information, please visit the authors' Foreign Rights Websites or contact the respective Rights Manager.