Stephan Thome and Steffen Mau Nominated for the NDR Non-Fiction Prize 2024
News24.09.2024
Stephan Thome and Steffen Mau have both made the longlist for the NDR Non-Fiction Prize 2024 with their books Narrow Waters, Dangerous Currents and Unity without Equality.
In her discussion of Thome’s Narrow Waters, Dangerous Currents on NDR, Claudia Christophersen wrote that: »[Thome’s] double talent, combining factual research with an elegant writing style, makes the book Narrow Waters, Dangerous Currents not only an informative read, but an immediately compelling and impactful one. Stephan Thome delves into the history of Taiwan, analyses the current conflict and contextualises the recent escalation of tensions, capturing its explosive nature of the situation along with all the upheavals and reform processes that have formed part of it.«
Meanwhile, Siv Stippekohl writes of Steffen Mau’s Unity without Equality: »Steffen Mau reveals that the decades-long assumption that East and West Germany would gradually become equal or come to resemble one another is a delusion. He identifies a lack of nuance in debates about the past, and argues that the forces of renewal unleashed by the Peaceful Revolution were stymied by the process of German unification. He does away with a number of misunderstandings, describes windows of opportunity for right-wing extremist forces, identifies a ›formal weakness in the civil society‹ of the former East, and diagnoses instances of ›wear and tear‹ in the fabric of democracy.«
The ten non-fiction books on this year’s longlist were selected by a nomination committee. Every year, the NDR Non-Fiction Prize is awarded to the »best non-fiction book written in German that addresses issues that are relevant to the future«. The prize is endowed with €15,000.
In late October, the jury will announce which three titles have made it onto the shortlist. The NDR Non-Fiction Prize 2024 will then be awarded on 7 November 2024 at a public event held as part of the Göttinger Literaturherbst.
For more information on Narrow Waters, Dangerous Currents or Unity without Equality, please contact the rights manager for your region.
In her discussion of Thome’s Narrow Waters, Dangerous Currents on NDR, Claudia Christophersen wrote that: »[Thome’s] double talent, combining factual research with an elegant writing style, makes the book Narrow Waters, Dangerous Currents not only an informative read, but an immediately compelling and impactful one. Stephan Thome delves into the history of Taiwan, analyses the current conflict and contextualises the recent escalation of tensions, capturing its explosive nature of the situation along with all the upheavals and reform processes that have formed part of it.«
Meanwhile, Siv Stippekohl writes of Steffen Mau’s Unity without Equality: »Steffen Mau reveals that the decades-long assumption that East and West Germany would gradually become equal or come to resemble one another is a delusion. He identifies a lack of nuance in debates about the past, and argues that the forces of renewal unleashed by the Peaceful Revolution were stymied by the process of German unification. He does away with a number of misunderstandings, describes windows of opportunity for right-wing extremist forces, identifies a ›formal weakness in the civil society‹ of the former East, and diagnoses instances of ›wear and tear‹ in the fabric of democracy.«
The ten non-fiction books on this year’s longlist were selected by a nomination committee. Every year, the NDR Non-Fiction Prize is awarded to the »best non-fiction book written in German that addresses issues that are relevant to the future«. The prize is endowed with €15,000.
In late October, the jury will announce which three titles have made it onto the shortlist. The NDR Non-Fiction Prize 2024 will then be awarded on 7 November 2024 at a public event held as part of the Göttinger Literaturherbst.
For more information on Narrow Waters, Dangerous Currents or Unity without Equality, please contact the rights manager for your region.