Shortlist for the German Book Prize: Where is the drama?

There are very good books on the current shortlist for the German Book Prize, but that's not the point. Shida Bazyar, Franziska Gänsler, Valerie Gordeev, Elias Hirschl, Peggy Mädler and Dana Vowinckel guarantee an exciting autumn of books.

There are also a few very good books not on the shortlist, but that is part of the nature of the matter and is not the point here. This is not intended to be the usual form of jury criticism, which creates an accusation based on the fact that you can't find your own favorites in the selection. Although, just for example, a selection that does not include Heike Geißler's novel “Michaela Kohlhaas” leaves contemporary literature looking more toothless than it should be. This Kleist overpainting really packs a punch. But as I said, that's not what it's about here.

Rather, there is another note to get rid of. This shortlist, one could criticize, does not generate any real drama. Actually, you can now sit back, read on and wait in peace to see which author will win the prize in the Frankfurter Römer. Everything's okay. Each of these authors is awarded the prize, with gradual differences of course. It seems that whoever prevails in the end depends only on their form on the day and the performance of their respective advocates at the decisive jury meeting.

This fall program would definitely also have dramas. Just two examples. What if Ingo Schulze's novel “The Water in August” were on the list? And what if Maxim Biller’s “Black Saturdays” were there? Then something would happen immediately. Newcomers against top dogs, establishment against new approaches - on both sides one could come up with theses, weigh up the pros and cons, and bring the books into the conversation. Debate. Conflict. Catharsis. So perhaps one should evaluate a shortlist not only by the books that are on it and which are not, but also by whether it has the power to make the areas of tension within the literary field visible? Just as a question.

A second possibility would be more subtle. In this autumn of books, after the hype surrounding autofictions, there is a certain trend towards looking at the characters from a personal perspective again, including the claim to be able to imagine oneself in other people's shoes (in addition to Bazyar, Stefan Thomé and Michael Kumpfmüller are trying this). Is this a backlash? Is this a productive move? Is there now a juxtaposition of approaches? These would be interesting questions that cannot really be addressed based on this shortlist.

So those would be points. It is clear that such a view, which perhaps even abstracts from one's own preferences, is difficult to create within a jury. But it would have been more exciting until the award ceremony. But, as I said, whoever gets the prize now will be okay.