Adelbert-von-Chamisso-Preis 2007

Munich, 27 February 2007: The Slovakian born writer, Magdalena Sadlon, won the 2007 Adelbert-von-Chamisso-Preis, worth €15,000. Special prizes of €7000 go to Luo Lingyuan and Que Du Luu. Robert Bosch Stiftung established the annual Adelbert-von-Chamisso-Preis in 1985 for authors from non-German backgrounds who write in German. It is the only literary prize of its kind in the German-speaking world.

At the award ceremony at Allerheilige-Hofkirche, Residenz München, Dieter Berg, Chairman of Robert Bosch Stiftung, said: ”The prestige of Chamisso prize winners in German literature has grown in recent years. Chamisso writers occupy far more than a niche. They are clearly an increasingly influential and essential part of contemporary German-language literature.”

Magdalena Sadlon, who lives in Vienna and Slovakia, received the Adelbert-von-Chamisso-Preis of €15 000 for her two novels to date: “Die wunderbaren Wege” (1999) and “Solange es schön ist” (2006). In the jury’s view, she writes her “perfect prose”, which shifts from one perspective to another with dazzling brilliance, in a unique and unconventional voice that betrays a deep understanding of human nature. “Solange es schön ist”, a novel constructed with immense sophistication and linguistic maturity, blends occasional cynicism with compassionate humanism in a masterly way. The author takes a mischievous peek behind the closed doors of an apartment block in Vienna, in which apparent normality develops into a sinister scenario with a terrible end.

Luo Lingyuan received the Adelbert-von-Chamisso-Förderpreis (€7000) for her 2005 collection of short stories, “Du fliegst jetzt für meinen Sohn aus dem fünften Stock!” This moving collection of stories depicts everyday Chinese life that is often shaped by a brutal disregard for human dignity, leaving a deep and lasting impression on the reader. The second special prize was awarded to Que Du Luu for her 2006 novel, “Totalschaden”, a witty, fast-paced and occasionally grotesque account of a young man with a fear of people, who loses his father when his mother sees Einstein in the street and grabs the steering wheel. The novel shows the writer’s narrative brilliance and exceptional talent for dialogue.