Valerie Fritsch Awarded the Prix du Livre Autrichien FRANCE 2025
News24.11.2025
Suhrkamp author Valerie Fritsch has been awarded the Prix du Livre Autrichien FRANCE 2025 for her novel Lemon.
The prize, which was awarded for just the second time this year, honours the best book by an Austrian author appearing in a French translation. Fritsch's work was singled out for its linguistic brilliance, its powerful treatment of an often taboo subject, and the unusual and daring perspectives the novel opens up. The award is accompanied by an invitation from the Austrian Cultural Forum in Paris, which will see the author embarking on a reading tour of France in early 2026. The French edition of Lemon will appear under the tile L'invention de la douleur in January 2026. Translated by Tatjana Marwinski and published by Plon, this award provides the novel with the best possible start in France.
Lemon is based on extensive research by the author and describes with great empathy the experiences of both victims and perpetrators of violence. »[Valerie Fritsch] does not hesitate to break taboos and masterfully uses her characters to show how different forms of violence can poison a life, and how it is possible to confuse violence with love,« the jury wrote in its statement on the award. The jury also highlighted the novel’s poetic language, which combines analytical clarity with linguistic elegance, creating a powerful reading experience despite the gravity of the subject matter.
The Prix du Livre Autrichien FRANCE has been awarded annually since 2024 by the Austrian Cultural Forum Paris and the Austrian Embassy in Paris, and honours outstanding contemporary Austrian literature that has sparked a particular response in the Francophone world. The jury, chaired by Stéphane Pesnel, professor of German studies at the Sorbonne, selected the shortlist. In addition to literary experts and prominent editors, the jury also includes students from several French universities.
The prize, which was awarded for just the second time this year, honours the best book by an Austrian author appearing in a French translation. Fritsch's work was singled out for its linguistic brilliance, its powerful treatment of an often taboo subject, and the unusual and daring perspectives the novel opens up. The award is accompanied by an invitation from the Austrian Cultural Forum in Paris, which will see the author embarking on a reading tour of France in early 2026. The French edition of Lemon will appear under the tile L'invention de la douleur in January 2026. Translated by Tatjana Marwinski and published by Plon, this award provides the novel with the best possible start in France.
Lemon is based on extensive research by the author and describes with great empathy the experiences of both victims and perpetrators of violence. »[Valerie Fritsch] does not hesitate to break taboos and masterfully uses her characters to show how different forms of violence can poison a life, and how it is possible to confuse violence with love,« the jury wrote in its statement on the award. The jury also highlighted the novel’s poetic language, which combines analytical clarity with linguistic elegance, creating a powerful reading experience despite the gravity of the subject matter.
The Prix du Livre Autrichien FRANCE has been awarded annually since 2024 by the Austrian Cultural Forum Paris and the Austrian Embassy in Paris, and honours outstanding contemporary Austrian literature that has sparked a particular response in the Francophone world. The jury, chaired by Stéphane Pesnel, professor of German studies at the Sorbonne, selected the shortlist. In addition to literary experts and prominent editors, the jury also includes students from several French universities.