Thomas Kunst Wins the Erich Fried Preis 2023
News09.10.2023
Suhrkamp author Thomas Kunst has been awarded the prestigious Erich Fried Preis in recognition of his impressive and innovative oeuvre.
“He is the most unusual poet I know, one who turns the world upside down in his head and then cuts off the edges of the pages, one who colours everything with a paint that he mixes himself,” writes Austrian author Monika Helfer about this year’s recipient in her judge’s report.
The Erich Fried Preis is one of the most prestigious literary awards in Austria and has been awarded by the International Erich Fried Society since 1990. Each year, one judge is chosen to award the prize, which is endowed with 15,000 and is funded by the Austrian Federal Ministry of Arts, Culture, Civil Service and Sport. This year’s recipient was chosen by the renowned Austrian author Monika Helfer. Helfer was appointed by a three-member panel of trustees taken from the ranks of the International Erich Fried Society. This year, the panel of trustees consists of the authors Teresa Präauer, Angelika Reitzer, and Christoph Hein.
State Secretary for Art and Culture, Andrea Mayer, had the following words to say about the work of the prize-winner “Thomas Kunst has been a fixture on the German literature scene for many years. Most recently, he was awarded the prestigious Kleist-Preis. A profound connoisseur of the poetic tradition, he sometimes disregards literary conventions in order to show us time and again just what language can do: creating worlds in which surprises lurk behind every sentence. Worlds that, while firmly rooted in our reality and perception, go far beyond them. As such, Thomas Kunst’s literature becomes a linguistic event: surprising, fast-paced, zigzagging, anarchic, playful, touching, and full of wit – and sometimes utopian. Because his stories and poems smack of longing, optimism, and adventure. So it makes complete sense that this special prize, the Erich Fried Preis, goes to this special author: congratulations, Thomas Kunst!”
The award ceremony will take place on Sunday, November 19, 2023, at 11 am at the Literaturhaus Wien, where Monika Helfer will present her judge’s remarks. Kunst’s most recent publication with Suhrkamp is the novel Zandschow. To inquire about the rights of any of Thomas Kunst’s work, please contact the Rights Manager for your region.
“He is the most unusual poet I know, one who turns the world upside down in his head and then cuts off the edges of the pages, one who colours everything with a paint that he mixes himself,” writes Austrian author Monika Helfer about this year’s recipient in her judge’s report.
The Erich Fried Preis is one of the most prestigious literary awards in Austria and has been awarded by the International Erich Fried Society since 1990. Each year, one judge is chosen to award the prize, which is endowed with 15,000 and is funded by the Austrian Federal Ministry of Arts, Culture, Civil Service and Sport. This year’s recipient was chosen by the renowned Austrian author Monika Helfer. Helfer was appointed by a three-member panel of trustees taken from the ranks of the International Erich Fried Society. This year, the panel of trustees consists of the authors Teresa Präauer, Angelika Reitzer, and Christoph Hein.
State Secretary for Art and Culture, Andrea Mayer, had the following words to say about the work of the prize-winner “Thomas Kunst has been a fixture on the German literature scene for many years. Most recently, he was awarded the prestigious Kleist-Preis. A profound connoisseur of the poetic tradition, he sometimes disregards literary conventions in order to show us time and again just what language can do: creating worlds in which surprises lurk behind every sentence. Worlds that, while firmly rooted in our reality and perception, go far beyond them. As such, Thomas Kunst’s literature becomes a linguistic event: surprising, fast-paced, zigzagging, anarchic, playful, touching, and full of wit – and sometimes utopian. Because his stories and poems smack of longing, optimism, and adventure. So it makes complete sense that this special prize, the Erich Fried Preis, goes to this special author: congratulations, Thomas Kunst!”
The award ceremony will take place on Sunday, November 19, 2023, at 11 am at the Literaturhaus Wien, where Monika Helfer will present her judge’s remarks. Kunst’s most recent publication with Suhrkamp is the novel Zandschow. To inquire about the rights of any of Thomas Kunst’s work, please contact the Rights Manager for your region.