Overview

• The 2025 shortlist names six finalists, with Dorothee Elmiger, Christine Wunnicke, Thomas Melle, Jehona Kicaj and Fiona Sironic joining Erdmann.
• The prize decision is scheduled for Monday evening following today's shortlist announcement.
• Erdmann presents the book as a metanovel about writing that foregrounds long-term processing of the 2002 Erfurt school shooting.
• The narrative blends personal reflection with quotations from official investigation reports and published journalism.
• The author experienced the attack as a fifth-grader and writes in a dry, humorous voice shaped by his poetry‑slam background.