Andreas Pflüger, Kim Koplin and James Kestrel Awarded at the 2023 German Crime Fiction Prize
News07.01.2024
Suhrkamp authors Andreas Pflüger, Kim Koplin and James Kestrel have all taken home accolades at the 2023 German Crime Fiction Prize.
Andreas Pflüger took top spot in the »National« category for his spy thriller How to Die. Jury member Tobias Gohlis, who writes for DIE ZEIT, said the following in his remarks on the judges’ decision: »Just as John Le Carré became the critical narrator of the British secret service through his novels, Andreas Pflüger has become the narrator of the German secret services. He has written six novels to date. […] When Pflüger sat down in 2022 and exploded the Glienicker Brücke, throwing his protagonist Nina in at the deep end, he hadn’t written any action for three years. ›I didn’t know if I could still do it.‹ Well, he sure as hell can. How to Die is Pflüger’s best novel to date: elaborate action, laconic wit, dense, lyrical language, and a devilishly surprising plot – tension by the bucketload.«
With her novel The Good and the Dead, Kim Koplin snared third place. In her judge's remarks, Sylvia Staude from Frankfurter Rundschau said: »What are we dealing with here, actually? Certainly an extravagant, diverse, and also a political thriller. Though Kim Koplin doesn’t waste too much time with depictions of the milieu in which this novel is set, the reader has such a clear image of the characters, primarily thanks to the dialogues, which recreate the sound of the street and everyday life as well as the sound of the world of politics. ›Let’s see who’s the fastest!‹ yells Leila. — Okay, I’ll count to three. One… And Lila’s already off. And so is Kim Koplin, whoever she is. At the end of every sentence, she’s racing off to new shores, new, unprecedented events.«
In the »International« category, Fünf Winter (originally published as Five Decembers) by American author James Kestrel took out first place. Fünf Winter is a noiresque mystery set against the backdrop of the Second World War in the Pacific. The German edition was published by Suhrkamp in 2023, and is translated by Stefan Lux.
This is the 40th time the German Crime Fiction Prize has been awarded. It seeks to recognise authors of novels that break new ground for the genre through skilful and original writing. The jury is overseen by the Bochum Crime Fiction Archive and is made up of crime fiction critics and booksellers.
For more information on How to Die or The Good and the Dead, contact the foreign rights manager for your region.
Andreas Pflüger took top spot in the »National« category for his spy thriller How to Die. Jury member Tobias Gohlis, who writes for DIE ZEIT, said the following in his remarks on the judges’ decision: »Just as John Le Carré became the critical narrator of the British secret service through his novels, Andreas Pflüger has become the narrator of the German secret services. He has written six novels to date. […] When Pflüger sat down in 2022 and exploded the Glienicker Brücke, throwing his protagonist Nina in at the deep end, he hadn’t written any action for three years. ›I didn’t know if I could still do it.‹ Well, he sure as hell can. How to Die is Pflüger’s best novel to date: elaborate action, laconic wit, dense, lyrical language, and a devilishly surprising plot – tension by the bucketload.«
With her novel The Good and the Dead, Kim Koplin snared third place. In her judge's remarks, Sylvia Staude from Frankfurter Rundschau said: »What are we dealing with here, actually? Certainly an extravagant, diverse, and also a political thriller. Though Kim Koplin doesn’t waste too much time with depictions of the milieu in which this novel is set, the reader has such a clear image of the characters, primarily thanks to the dialogues, which recreate the sound of the street and everyday life as well as the sound of the world of politics. ›Let’s see who’s the fastest!‹ yells Leila. — Okay, I’ll count to three. One… And Lila’s already off. And so is Kim Koplin, whoever she is. At the end of every sentence, she’s racing off to new shores, new, unprecedented events.«
In the »International« category, Fünf Winter (originally published as Five Decembers) by American author James Kestrel took out first place. Fünf Winter is a noiresque mystery set against the backdrop of the Second World War in the Pacific. The German edition was published by Suhrkamp in 2023, and is translated by Stefan Lux.
This is the 40th time the German Crime Fiction Prize has been awarded. It seeks to recognise authors of novels that break new ground for the genre through skilful and original writing. The jury is overseen by the Bochum Crime Fiction Archive and is made up of crime fiction critics and booksellers.
For more information on How to Die or The Good and the Dead, contact the foreign rights manager for your region.