Lutz Seiler's and His Novel KRUSO Wins the German Book Prize 2014

The winner of the German Book Prize 2014 is Lutz Seiler for his novel "Kruso" (Suhrkamp).

"Lutz Seiler employs lyrical, sensual language with a hint of magic to describe the summer of 1989 on the island of Hiddensee - a 'gateway to evanescence'. The island was a gathering place for eccentrics, mavericks, freedom seekers, individuals looking to flee the GDR. One can read this compelling Robinsonade involving the eponymous Kruso and the young dishwasher Edgar as an eloquent tale of both a personal and historic shipwreck - and as a poet's coming-of-age novel. The text develops its own unique sense of urgency and, if nothing else, serves as a requiem for the refugees who lost their lives while attempting to escape across the Baltic Sea. Lutz Seiler's first novel impresses with its thoroughly distinct poetic language, its sensual intensity and its worldliness."

He will receive 25,000 euros in prize winnings. The winner was determined in several selection stages. The jury reviewed a total of 176 titles published between October 2013 and 10 September 2014.

The Brsenverein des Deutschen Buchhandels Stiftung - the Foundation of the German Publishers and Booksellers Association - awarded the German Book Prize 2014 to the best German-language title of the year to coincide with the start of the Frankfurt Book Fair. The German Book Prize is financially supported by the Deutsche Bank Foundation. Additional partners include the Frankfurt Book Fair, Paschen & Companie and the city of Frankfurt am Main. The Deutsche Welle broadcasting network serves as a media partner of the German Book Prize both at home and abroad.