2024-11-19 07:10:00
Reinhard Kaiser-Mühlecker was awarded the Austrian Book Prize on Monday, November 18, 2024 for his book “Burning Fields” (S. Fischer Verlag). The debut prize went to Frieda Paris for the title “Nachwasser” (Voland & Quist). The award ceremony took place at the start of the Book Vienna Week in front of around 300 invited guests in the Odeon Theater in the second district.
The prizes were presented by Federal Minister for Art, Culture, Public Service and Sport Werner Kogler, Benedikt Föger, President of the Main Association of the Austrian Book Trade, and AK Director Silvia Hruška-Frank.
Dorothee Hartinger and Philipp Hauß led the evening together with the students of the second year of acting from the Music and Art Private University of Vienna. The musical accompaniment was provided by Georg Breinschmid (double bass) and Benjamin Schmid (violin).
Austrian Book Prize 2024 – Reinhard Kaiser-Mühlecker “Burning Fields” (S. Fischer Verlag)
Reasons of the jury:
Luisa Fischer is not particularly interested in the fields in her neighborhood that are burning due to the heat. However, it often leaves behind scorched earth. Incapable of emotion, she is an unreliable mother to her two children from different fathers. Contact with her own mother finally breaks off when she enters into a relationship with her stepfather. When he is killed during a break-in, Luisa is drawn to his murderer. She hopes that every new man will free her from her dreary everyday life and her dissatisfaction. Freeing yourself from a family whose members struggle with speechlessness, don’t trust each other and yet can’t get away from each other or the area.
While the focus was on the brothers in “Strange Soul, Dark Forest” (2016) and “Poacher” (2022), now their sister Luisa tells the story from their perspective – and Reinhard Kaiser-Mühlecker for the first time from a female perspective. Luisa searches intensively for the right words because she wants to be seen as a writer. In contrast to her, Kaiser-Mühlecker writes condensedly, simply and concisely, in a calm tone. Through unexpected twists and turns, he not only plays with his characters, but also with the readers. In this way he constructs and deconstructs this abysmal, cold and gloomy world again and again. Luisa is right when she reflects this in her novel character, an old miser: “It has to be the case that you think you know him, and that you are by his side until the end, but then you no longer think you know him .”
Also nominated for the shortlist were: Valerie Fritsch “Zitronen” (Suhrkamp Verlag), Elias Hirschl “Content” (Zsolnay Verlag), Elke Laznia “Fischgrätentage” (Müry Salzmann Verlag) and Katharina Winkler “Siebenmeilenherz” (Matthes & Seitz).
The Austrian Book Prize is worth 20,000 euros, the four other titles on the shortlist are worth 2,500 euros each.
Austrian Book Prize 2024 – Debut: Frieda Paris “Nachwasser” (Voland & Quist)
Reasons of the jury:
Frieda Paris’ long poem “Nachwasser” is a risk. Who dares to step onto the smooth surface of autopoetic poetry and poetological reflection with their debut and expose themselves unprotected? Paris. She explores writing as she writes, draws us into the process, holds on to us and doesn’t fall. Driven by the “doubt” as the “writing organ”, accompanied by the bird “Lomeise” on the “writing shoulder”, the ego finds rich word material that it assembles on its poetic “editing table”. It comes from an immersion in many sources, above all in the legacy of Friederike Mayröcker, the “Great Mother of Words”: in the afterwater. But in this making-of-a-poem, the reader is presented with even more information in 110 sequences. Writing, the how and why of writing, becoming a poet from childhood, traces of memory of love and loss are skilfully interspersed with finds from individual word fathers from Paul Celan to Peter Waterhouse, but above all from many word mothers, from Ingeborg Bachmann to and again and again Mayröcker to Sarah Kirsch – and gave a poetic answer to the question: What can a poem do? Everything.
Also nominated for the shortlist debut were: Verena Dolovai “Dorf ohne Franz” (Septime Verlag) and Julia Jost “Where the sharpest tooth of the Karawanken bares up into the sky” (Suhrkamp Verlag).
The debut prize as part of the Austrian Book Prize is worth 10,000 euros, the two other titles on the shortlist are worth 2,500 euros each. The debut prize is donated by the Vienna Chamber of Labor.
Die Jury
The jury for the Austrian Book Prize in 2024 consists of Zita Bereuter (head of literature department, FM4), Anke Bosse (literary scholar, University of Klagenfurt), Nicole List (bookseller, List bookstore), Johanna Öttl (literature program, Alte Schmiede) and Judith von Sternburg ( Literary critic and editor, Frankfurter Rundschau).
About the Austrian Book Prize
The aim of the Austrian Book Prize is to honor the quality and independence of Austrian literature and to give it the attention it deserves throughout the German-speaking world.
The Austrian Book Prize is being organized by the Federal Ministry of Art, Culture, Public Service and Sport (BMKÖS), the Main Association of the Austrian Book Trade and the Vienna Chamber of Labor in 2024 for the ninth time.
The winners from previous years
Book prize: Clemens J. Setz (2023), Verena Roßbacher (2022), Raphaela Edelbauer (2021), Xaver Bayer (2020), Norbert Gstrein (2019), Daniel Wisser (2018), Eva Menasse (2017), Friederike Mayröcker (2016 )
Debut prize: Arad Dabiri (2023), Lena-Marie Biertimpel (2022), Anna Albinus (2021), Leander Fischer (2020), Angela Lehner (2019), Marie Gamillscheg (2018), Nava Ebrahimi (2017), Friederike Gösweiner (2016 )
Downloads & Links
The logo of the Austrian Book Prize is there here ready for download.
Portrait photos of Reinhard Kaiser-Mühlecker (© Peter Rigaud) and Frieda Paris (© El Menges) can be used as part of reporting on the Austrian Book Prize 2024 provided the photo credit is given.
Further information about the Austrian Book Prize 2024 can be found at oesterreichischer-buchpreis.at as well as on Facebook.
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What themes did you explore through Luisa’s character in *Burning Fields*?
**Interview with Reinhard Kaiser-Mühlecker, Winner of the 2024 Austrian Book Prize**
**Editor:** Congratulations, Reinhard, on winning the esteemed Austrian Book Prize for your novel *Burning Fields*. How does it feel to receive such recognition for your work?
**Reinhard Kaiser-Mühlecker:** Thank you! It feels incredibly validating and humbling. Writing can often feel like a solitary journey, and receiving this award not only honors my work but also the themes and struggles I tried to portray in *Burning Fields*.
**Editor:** Your story follows the character Luisa and her tumultuous relationships within her family. Can you share a little about the inspiration behind Luisa’s character and her journey?
**Reinhard Kaiser-Mühlecker:** Absolutely. Luisa began as a way for me to explore themes of familial disconnect and emotional isolation. I wanted to present a character who struggles with her identity and relationships, reflecting, perhaps, the complexities many face in their own families. By giving her a female perspective, I hoped to highlight those often-overlooked narratives and allow readers to engage with her internal battles.
**Editor:** The jury noted your writing style as “condensed, simple, and concise.” Why did you choose this approach for *Burning Fields*?
**Reinhard Kaiser-Mühlecker:** I believe in the power of understatement. By keeping the prose simple, I aimed to allow the emotions and darkness of Luisa’s world to resonate more deeply with readers. Sometimes what is left unsaid has an even greater impact than elaborate descriptions.
**Editor:** You also received the award during the Book Vienna Week, an exciting time for literature enthusiasts. How does it feel to be recognized in such a vibrant literary event?
**Reinhard Kaiser-Mühlecker:** It’s a wonderful backdrop for this honor. The Book Vienna Week celebrates literature in all forms, and being part of this atmosphere filled with creativity and passion makes the experience even more special. I’m grateful to share this moment with so many talented writers and readers.
**Editor:** Aside from this award, what’s next for you? Are you currently working on new material?
**Reinhard Kaiser-Mühlecker:** Yes, I am! I’m always exploring new ideas. While I want to reflect on the themes of *Burning Fields*, I also aim to push my boundaries as a writer. I look forward to sharing something fresh that challenges both myself and my readers.
**Editor:** We’re excited to see what you create next. Thank you for sharing your insights, Reinhard, and once again, congratulations on your well-deserved recognition!
**Reinhard Kaiser-Mühlecker:** Thank you! It’s been a pleasure to discuss my work with you.