This year's Joseph Breitbach Prize, endowed with 50,000 euros, goes to Karl-Heinz Ott.
The 63-year-old writer will be honored for his literary oeuvre, announced the Academy of Sciences and Literature in Mainz this Thursday.
Ott is one of "the most intellectual and linguistically adept authors of his generation".
The author, who was born in Ehingen, Baden-Württemberg, has already won several prizes for his works. Among other things, he wrote the novels "The Resurrection", "And Every Morning The Sea" and "Holderlin's Spirits". The prize awarded by the Academy and the Joseph Breitbach Foundation is to be presented to Ott on September 17th in the Koblenz Theater. Jürgen Kaube, co-editor of the Frankfurter Allgemeine, is planned as the laudator.
The Joseph Breitbach Prize is named after the Franco-German writer and publicist (1903-1980) from Koblenz, who lived mainly in France from 1929 on. The award has previously been received by writers such as Arno Geiger, Navid Kermani, Brigitte Kronauer, Ilse Aichinger, Ingo Schulze, Dieter Wellershoff, Herta Müller, Raoul Schrott and Ursula Krechel. Most recently, the author Nora Bossong was honored.