The longlist for the 2025 German Book Prize was unveiled Tuesday morning. The jury evaluated 229 titles submitted since the prize’s inception, encompassing works published or scheduled for publication between October 2024 and September 16, 2025 – the date the shortlist will be announced – according to the German Publishers and Booksellers Association. From this pool, the jury has nominated 20 titles for consideration.
“Linguistic artistry, narrative approach and the anxieties of our present moment guided our discussions” explained jury spokesperson Laura de Weck. “Uncertainty defines our times”. She described the longlist as a collection of 20 outstanding novels that, in their diversity, reflect a precarious reality. “One can be concerned about the future, but not about the future of literature.
Among those nominated is Fiona Sironic with her debut novel, “Am Samstag gehen die Mädchen in den Wald und jagen Sachen in die Luft” (Girls Go Into the Woods on Saturday and Blow Things Up). Michael Köhlmeier is also on the list with his novel “Die Verdorbenen” (The Corrupted), marking his fourth appearance on the longlist, having previously been shortlisted in 2007.
The other nominated titles and authors are: Kathrin Bach’s “Lebensversicherung” (Life Insurance), Marko Dinic’s “Buch der Gesichter” (Book of Faces), Nava Ebrahimi’s “Und Federn überall” (And Feathers Everywhere), Dorothee Elmiger’s “Die Holländerinnen” (The Dutch Women), Kaleb Erdmann’s “Die Ausweichschule” (The Evasion School), Annett Gröschner’s “Schwebende Lasten” (Floating Burdens), Dmitrij Kapitelman’s “Russische Spezialitäten” (Russian Specialties), Jina Khayyer’s “Im Herzen der Katze” (In the Heart of the Cat), Jehona Kicaj’s “ë”, Jonas Lüscher’s “Verzauberte Vorbestimmung” (Enchanted Predestination), Thomas Melle’s “Haus zur Sonne” (House to the Sun), Jacinta Nandi’s “Single Mom Supper Club”, Gesa Olkusz’s “Die Sprache meines Bruders” (The Language of My Brother), Lena Schätte’s “Das Schwarz an den Händen meines Vaters” (The Black on My Father’s Hands), Lina Schwenk’s “Blinde Geister” (Blind Ghosts), Peter Wawerzinek’s “Rom sehen und nicht sterben” (See Rome and Don’t Die), Christine Wunnicke’s “Wachs” (Wax) and Feridun Zaimoglu’s “Sohn ohne Vater” (Son Without Father).
The jury will now select six novels from the longlist to comprise the shortlist, which will be revealed on September 16, 2025. The award ceremony will then take place on October 13, 2025, at the beginning of the Frankfurt Book Fair in the Kaisersaal of the Frankfurt Römer. The winner of the German Book Prize will not be announced until the evening of the ceremony. The winner receives a prize of 25,000 Euros, while each of the five finalists receives 2,500 Euros.
