FRANKFURT, Germany, October 8, 2018 /PRNewswire/ --

The winner of the German Book Prize 2018 is Inger-Maria Mahlke for her novel "Archipel" (Rowohlt).

Statement from the jury:

"The archipelago lies at the outermost edge of Europe; the setting is the island of Tenerife, a nucleus of colonial history and of the history of 20th-century European dictatorships. Inger-Maria Mahlke writes about the present and back to 1919 in a precise and cogent manner. The narrative centres around three families from different social classes, fractured and wounded by Spanish history. Yet it is the dazzling details above all that make this novel such an impressive affair. Through its language, it allows us to experience everyday life, a damaged landscape - and even the light - as though with our own senses. The author's eye for the intricate bifurcations of family and social relationships is fascinating."

The members of the jury for the German Book Prize 2018 are: Christoph Bartmann (Goethe-Institut Warsaw), Luzia Braun (ZDF), Tanja Graf (Literaturhaus Munich), Paul Jandl (independent critic), Uwe Kalkowski (literary blog "Kaffeehaussitzer"), Christine Lötscher (independent critic) and Marianne Sax (Bücherstube Marianne Sax bookstore, Frauenfeld).

The other novels that were shortlisted for the award are: María Cecilia Barbetta, "Nachtleuchten" (S. Fischer); Maxim Biller, "Sechs Koffer" (Kiepenheuer & Witsch); Nino Haratischwili, "Die Katze und der General" (Frankfurter Verlagsanstalt); Susanne Röckel, "Der Vogelgott" (Jung und Jung) and Stephan Thome, "Gott der Barbaren" (Suhrkamp).

The Börsenverein des Deutschen Buchhandels Stiftung (the foundation of the German Publishers and Booksellers Association) is awarding the German Book Prize 2018 to the best German-language novel of the year to coincide with the start of the Frankfurter Buchmesse. The German Book Prize receives financial support from the Deutsche Bank Foundation. Other partners include the Frankfurter Buchmesse and the city of Frankfurt am Main. The television network Deutsche Welle supports the German Book Prize in its media activities both at home and abroad. https://www.deutscher-buchpreis.de/en/

Exclusive English translations of excerpts from the six shortlisted titles along with an English-language dossier are available at http://www.new-books-in-german.com .

Contacts for the media:
Börsenverein des Deutschen Buchhandels e.V.
(The German Publishers and Booksellers Association)

Thomas Koch
Director of Press and Public Relations
Tel.: +49-(0)-69-1306-293
E-mail: t.koch@boev.de  

Cathrin Mund
PR Manager
Tel.: +49-(0)-69-1306-292
E-mail: mund@boev.de

SOURCE German Publishers and Booksellers Association