As of: March 21, 2024 4:52 p.m
The Leipzig Book Fair prize was awarded today. Barbi Marković receives the award for her book “Minihorror”. Anke Feuchtenberger from Hamburg was also nominated.
A novel in the classic sense “Mini Horror” not, more of a loose collection of stories, including bonus material. But very laconic with a penchant for absurd humor told by Barbi Marković, who was born in Belgrade in 1980 and lives in Vienna.
Barbi Marković’s “Minihorror” (192 pages) was published by Residenz Verlag and costs 24 euros.
The two main protagonists in this book are called Mini and Miki – a rogue who isn’t an the world famous Disney mice thinks. And everything that happens to them over the course of the book is told in a pretty comic-like way. In 26 short episodes, Mini and Miki experience horror-like twists and turns in their everyday lives: there is talk of doppelgangers, someone turns out to be a cannibal or the “tickle monster” appears. Without anything having consequences – everything is fine again at the beginning of the next story. According to the jury’s statement, Barbi Marković tells a comic in prose with a confident style and conscious breaks in style. The horror of the 26 stories about the couple Mini and Miki lurks in everyday life. It’s about mishaps, insults, family feuds, furniture purchases and vermin – strange, familiar and scary.
Tom Holert receives prize in the non-fiction/essay category
Tom Holert was born in Hamburg – he now lives in Berlin.
The Hamburg-born author Tom Holert received the prize in the non-fiction/essay category for his work “‘ca. 1972’ Violence – Environment – Identity – Method”. With his hybrid text game, Holert calls on us to rethink the political struggles of “around 1972”, the failure of which ushered in the supposed end of history, from a global historical perspective. “The book tries to show that claims to radicalism always give rise to contradictions and conflicts and that there is no innocent form of radicalism – not in history and not today either,” said the author when he accepted the prize.
Translation award for Ki-Hyang Lee
The South Korean Ki-Hyang Lee works as a lecturer, translator and publisher.
Ki-Hyang Lee received the prize in the translation category for “The Curse of the Rabbit” by the South Korean author Bora Chung. Ki-Hyang Lee found a suitable translation for both the subtle humor and the descriptions of real horror in the short stories. The award winner was visibly moved and burst into tears during her acceptance speech. The prize is a “great consolation” for her “lonely work as a translator” for over 20 years.
Further information
15 Min
On the ARD stage, the author of “Nobody is with the Calves” and “Animals You Have to Be Afraid of” speaks with NDR culture editor Joachim Dicks. 15 minutes
Insa Wilke noticed that there was “a strong interest in historical and political awareness” among the submissions. more
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NDR Culture | The Morning | March 21, 2024 | 10:50 am