Leipziger Buchpreis 2025: Shortlist Highlights Renowned Authors and Translators

Fifteen nominees across fiction, nonfiction, and translation categories reflect a curated look at contemporary literature, with winners to be announced on March 27 at the Leipzig Book Fair.

The shortlist for the 2025 Leipziger Buchpreis features 15 works selected from 506 submissions across three categories: fiction, nonfiction/essay, and translation.
Christian Kracht, Wolf Haas, and Kristine Bilkau headline the fiction category with their novels 'Air,' 'Wackelkontakt,' and 'Halbinsel,' respectively.
The nonfiction category includes works addressing historical and cultural themes, such as Jens Bisky’s 'Die Entscheidung: Deutschland 1929 bis 1934' and Maike Albath’s 'Bitteres Blau: Neapel und seine Gesichter.'
The translation category showcases works translated from Polish, English, Italian, and Belarussian, including Olaf Kühl’s rendering of Szczepan Twardoch’s 'Kälte' and Thomas Weiler’s translation of 'Feuerdörfer.'
The winners, who will each receive €15,000, will be announced during the Leipzig Book Fair, running from March 27 to March 30, with all nominees receiving €1,000.

Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung