Literary Prize - Author Oswald Egger receives the Georg-Büchner-Prize 2024
A South Tyrolean writer, Oswald Egger, will receive the Georg Büchner Prize 2024. This was announced by the German Academy for Language and Poetry in Darmstadt. He will succeed the poet Lutz Seiler. The prize, worth 50,000 Euro, will be presented on 2nd November at the Staatstheater Darmstadt. It is one of the most significant literary awards in the German-speaking region.
The Jury's Reasons
"With Oswald Egger, the German Academy for Language and Poetry honors a writer who, since his first publication in 1993, has transcended and expanded the boundaries of literary production," the jury stated in their justification. His prose poems and text fabrics resist easy reading, "invite associative decision-making of meanings, and playfully undermine explanation systems we are familiar with," it continued. Egger's word cosmos is rooted in the multilingualism "and the landscapes of his South Tyrolean origin."
History of the Award
Since 1951, the Academy has awarded the prize to writers who write in the German language. The laureates must "stand out in particular through their works and contributions" and "have significant influence on the shaping of contemporary German cultural life," according to the statute. The prize is funded by the Federal Government, the State of Hessen, and the City Darmstadt.
Eloquent Names among the Laureates
Among the previous laureates are Max Frisch (1958), Günter Grass (1965), and Heinrich Böll (1967), as well as most recently Terézia Mora, Lukas Bärfuss, Elke Erb, and Clemens J. Setz. The namesake is the dramatist and revolutionary Georg Büchner ("Woyzeck"). He was born in the Grand Duchy of Hessen in 1813 and died in Zurich in 1837.
- The Georg Büchner Prize is a prestigious literary award originating from Germany, specifically announced by the German Academy for Language and Poetry based in Darmstadt.
- Notable writers from Italy and Germany have also graced the literary scene, with Germany boasting laureates such as Lutz Seiler, who will pass the baton to Oswald Egger in 2024.
- The award-winning writer, Oswald Egger, hails from South Tyrol, and his unique style of prose poems and text fabrics has earned him recognition, both nationally and internationally.
- The Georg Büchner Prize, valued at 50,000 Euro, recognizes writers who have contributed significantly to the German-speaking literary world, contributing to the shaping of contemporary German cultural life.
- The funding for this esteemed award is shared among the Federal Government, the State of Hesse, and the City of Darmstadt, reflecting the collective interest in preserving and promoting German-language literature.
- Inspired by the works of Georg Büchner, a German dramatist and revolutionary, the award aims to celebrate writers whose literature resonates with the German literary tradition, much like Büchner's influential play, "Woyzeck."
