Bavarian Book Prize 2024
Dr. Florian Herrmann presented the honorary award of the Bavarian Book Prize to Donna Leon and congratulated the winners in the areas of non-fiction and fiction: Steffen Mau and Clemens Meyer
Minister of State Dr. Florian Herrmann said in his laudatory speech: "God bless you warmly to publishers, authors, the book trade, ..."
Munich. On November 7, 2024, Minister of State Dr. Florian Herrmann gave the laudatory speech on the occasion of the awarding of the honorary award of the Bavarian Book Prize 2024 to Donna Leon. The 82-year-old writer accepted the prize in Munich. Readers and crime fans know the American-Swiss writer from her books such as “Venetian Finale” about the Venetian police officer Commissario Guido Brunetti as the main character. The American-born author lived in Venice for a long time and now lives in Switzerland. The prizewinners for non-fiction and fiction were also honored: Steffen Mau ('Unequally United - Why the East Remains Different') and Clemes Meyer ('The Projectors') were congratulated. This year the jury was made up of Andreas Platthaus (Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung), Cornelius Pollmer (Süddeutsche Zeitung) and Marie Schoeß (Bayerischer Rundfunk). In addition to the winning book by Clemens Meyer, nominees in the fiction category included “Hey, good morning, how are you?” by Martina Hefter (Klett-Cotta) and “Women who die while laughing” by Alexandra Stahl (Jung und Jung). In the non-fiction section, the jury chose between the book by Steffen Mau and two other books - these were “The Evolution of Violence” by Harald Meller, Kai Michel, Carel von Schaik (dtv) and “Zugemüllt” by Oliver Schlaudt (C.H. Beck). The award ceremony took place in the All Saints Court Church (architect Leo von Klenze / built between 1826 and 1837).
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| Court garden and residence in Munich - in the background on the right is the dome of the Bavarian State Chancellery, photo: Waess (press archive) |
Minister of State Dr. Florian Herrmann in his laudatory speech for honorary laureate Donna Leon
“For over 30 years, Donna Leon has thrilled us with captivating crime stories from Venice and her fine, inimitable look at the place we long for, Italy. Her works reflect her enthusiasm for literature, as well as her passion for people and their stories, which make each book something special. The honorary award is an expression of Bavaria's great appreciation for her outstanding achievements as a writer and her sensational book successes. Congratulations and all the best!”
Minister of State Dr. Florian Herrmann for the Bavarian Book Prize
“Bavaria is one of the most important publishing locations, with book publishers making up the lion’s share. Over 11,100 first editions come from the Free State - No. 1 in Germany! We are proud of the book industry, which is about so much more than economic success. The whole of life takes place in books, which in their diversity accompany, inform and entertain us throughout our lives. A heartfelt thank you to publishers, authors and the book trade, who continue to enrich us with new reading material. We congratulate all nominees and especially this year's non-fiction and fiction award winners, Steffen Mau ('Unequally United - Why the East Remains Different') and Clemes Meyer ('The Projectors') on their outstanding achievements.”
The Bavarian Book Prize
The Bavarian Book Prize is a renowned Bavarian state media prize that honors the "cultural asset of books and reading" and follows in the tradition of the CORINE - International Book Prize - which was awarded from 2001 to 2011 by the Bavarian State Association of the Stock Exchange Association with the support of the Bavarian State Chancellery.
Since 2014, the Bavarian Book Prize has been presented to exceptional literary figures and writers by the German Book Trade Association - Bavarian State Association and with the support of the Bavarian State Chancellery.
