NEWS

Iris Wolff’s new novel Clearings has now been shortlisted for the German Book Prize 2024. Germany’s most prestigious book prize is this year celebrating its 20th anniversary. Six novels were chosen of which four are by women. The winner will be announced on October 14 at a special event at the Frankfurt Book Fair.

Iris Wolff has been awarded the Spycher Prize for her novel, Clearings. The prize gives the winner accommodation and writing time in Leuk in Switzerland over a period of five years.

Iris Wolff has won the Uwe-Johnson-Preis worth 20,000 Euros for her novel Clearings, one of 90 works submitted. The prize, now in its 30th year, marks 90 years since Uwe Johnson (1934-1984) was born. It is awarded for outstanding literary works which connect both to Johnson’s poetics and to his ‘simple truths’ about German history, its past and future. It was last awarded to Jenny Erpenbeck in 2022 for her novel Kairos.

Monique Charlesworth’s Mother Country was one of three memoirs shortlisted for the TLS Ackerley Prize 2024 for memoir and autobiography.

Awarded annually for a literary autobiography of outstanding merit, by an author of British nationality published in the UK, the prize is now in partnership with The Times Literary Supplement.

The judges wrote: ‘Beautifully written and very skilfully structured, the book springs a number of carefully placed surprises on the reader. This is both a compelling detective story and an unusual and highly original book about the repercussions of the Holocaust.’

View announcement on X: https://x.com/PParkerWriting/status/1805207176362742186

Iris Wolff’s new novel Clearings rose to number two on the best seller list in Germany within days of publication in January 2024. In February and April it reached the no.1 and no.2 spot on the SWR best and SRF Culture best lists.

Moth Books will be publishing this compelling novel in 2026.

Described by leading German newspaper Die Zeit as 'highly original', ‘a wonderful novel to remember, dream about and ponder', Clearings has been chosen as Die Zeit’s Book of the Month.

Join Die Zeit’s Literature Community for a live (German language) interview with Iris Wolff at 6pm on July 3 HERE.

Julia Franck is currently in Pacific Palisades, Los Angeles as resident fellow in the Thomas Mann House, where she is working on a new book.