Literature - Mara Cassens Prize 2023 goes to debut author Dana Vowinckel
Berlin author Dana Vowinckel has been awarded the Mara Cassens Prize 2023 by the Literaturhaus Hamburg for her debut novel "Gewässer im Ziplock". The book tells the family story of 15-year-old Jewish girl Margarita and her single father Avi. In it, Vowinckel reflects the diversity and complexity of Jewish life in Germany or in confrontation with Germany, the Literaturhaus announced on Thursday.
"She writes calmly and unagitatedly about a family, about homesickness and being on the move, reflects on belonging, origin, pain and foreignness and describes our society, which is permeated by prejudice and anti-Semitism," the jury said in its statement.
Vowinckel, born in Berlin in 1996, studied linguistics and literature in Berlin, Toulouse and Cambridge. She was already awarded the 2021 Deutschlandfunk Prize at the Ingeborg Bachmann Competition for an excerpt from her first novel, which was published by Suhrkamp in August of this year.
According to the Hamburger Literaturhaus, the Mara Cassens Prize, which is endowed with 20,000 euros, is the most valuable award for a German-language debut novel. The prize will be awarded on January 10 in Hamburg.
Announcement by the Literaturhaus Hamburg
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Vowinckel's literary success continued beyond Berlin, as she also received the 2021 Deutschlandfunk Prize at the Ingeborg Bachmann Competition in Austria. Her debut novel, "Gewässer im Ziplock," has garnered attention beyond Hamburg, with its publication by Suhrkamp being highly anticipated. With her latest achievement, Vowinckel has solidified her place among Germany's esteemed literary community, furthering the rich history of literature in the country.
Source: www.stern.de
