Leipzig Book Prize for Karl-Markus Gauss
Culture
The Salzburg writer Karl-Markus Gauss will be honored with the Leipzig Book Prize for European Understanding on Wednesday. The 67-year-old is being honored for his book “The Incessant Migration: Reports” about special people and places in Europe. The prize is endowed with 20,000 euros.
Karl-Markus Gauss receives the renowned literary prize for his reportage collection “The incessant migration” – an honor that has a special meaning for the down-to-earth writer from Salzburg: “I don’t feel any better when I receive a prize. I know there are also a lot of coincidences involved. I was neither worse nor better as an author before. But now it’s being appreciated by a certain group and I’m really happy about that,” says Gauss.
Gauss as a “tireless enlightener”
The book from the Viennese Zsolnay Verlag collects stories from extraordinary places and people in Europe. It was released in 2020. European understanding has been Karl-Markus Gauss for a year. His books about the Roma or the European minorities also received a lot of attention. In the jury’s statement, Karl-Markus Gauss is described as a tireless enlightener.
Event overshadowed by war
Gauss’ acceptance speech, which is scheduled for Wednesday at 7 p.m. in the Nikolaikirche in Leipzig, is eagerly awaited. The Eastern Europe expert will also address the Ukraine-Russia war. The Viennese literary scholar Daniela Strigl has announced that she will be the laudator. Before the award ceremony, there will also be a peace campaign followed by a rally, to which the City of Leipzig, the German Book Trade Association and the Nikolaikirche have called.