Bavarian Book Prize - Donna Leon receives honorary award
The author Donna Leon (81) will be honored with the Honor Prize of the Bavarian Book Prize. "She brings Italy's longing place to life in her books like no other, and for many years has shaped our image of Venice," said Minister-President Markus Söder (CSU). "With Commissario Guido Brunetti, she has created one of the most popular investigator figures in contemporary crime literature."
The Bavarian Book Prize will be given out for the eleventh time this year. The Honor Prize was previously awarded to, among others, Florian Illies, Christopher Clark, Frank Schäting, Harald Lesch, Joachim Meyerhoff, Cornelia Funke, Tomi Ungerer - and now also to Leon.
Söder justified this year's choice by saying, "She breathes life into her protagonist Brunetti and his allies and adversaries with their strengths, weaknesses, and often with a wink, bringing them to the table." "Of course, there is no Brunetti without Venice. With great attention to detail, Donna Leon presents the city as a living and authentic setting with its winding alleys, historic buildings, unique atmosphere, but also its dark sides. Skillfully, she weaves her thrilling plots with a deep-rooted social criticism and current topics."
The prize-giving ceremony will take place on November 7 in the Allerheiligen-Hofkirche of the Munich Residenz.
- Donna Leon, hailing from Germany, will receive the Honor Prize of the Bavarian Book Prize in her homeland, Bavaria.
- The CSU's Markus Söder, in his appreciation for Donna Leon, mentioned her remarkable ability to capture the essence of Venice, Italy, in her literature.
- The renowned author will join an esteemed group of past recipients of the Honor Prize, including Italians like Donna Leon and German luminaries such as Florian Illies, Frank Schätzing, and Cornelia Funke.
- The ceremony for presenting the award to Donna Leon will take place in Munich, specifically in the Allerheiligen-Hofkirche of the Munich Residenz.
- In his speech, Markus Söder praised Donna Leon for her masterful portrayal of Commissario Guido Brunetti and his surroundings in contemporary crime literature.
- The Bavarian Book Prize, in its eleventh year, is set to honor Donna Leon for her significant contributions to Italian literature and Germany's literary scene.
- Just like in her bestselling works, Donna Leon has once again managed to seamlessly blend literary excellence with social criticism and current topics in her acceptance speech for the Bavarian Book Prize.
