Dorothee Elmiger wins the German Book Prize 2025 with a captivating novel!

Dorothee Elmiger wins the German Book Prize 2025 with a captivating novel!

The German Book Prize 2025 was awarded today to the writer Dorothee Elmiger. This meant she was able to prevail against more than 200 applicants. The award ceremony took place as part of a ceremony at the Frankfurt Book Fair, where the jury announced its decision. Elmiger was honored for her novel “The Dutch Women,” which recently caused a stir.

The novel takes readers on a journey to the South American jungle, where a group of artists search for two missing Dutch women. The jury described the work as an “event” and a “fascinating trip into the heart of darkness”. Elmiger managed to impressively address powerful themes such as mastery and dominance, giving the book a captivating depth. In her poetry lecture, she explained how the theater project that forms the basis of her story became increasingly independent and the group was “swallowed” by the jungle.

The creative process

Elmiger, who was born in 1985 and currently lives in New York, was considered the favorite for the award. However, her writing process was marked by doubts: several times she was on the verge of throwing in the towel and rejected several drafts. The final spurt of her writing was “almost feverish,” which underlines the emotional intensity of her novel.

The narrative style in “The Dutch Women” is characterized by indirect speech, which reinforces the disturbing atmosphere of the work. Readers are not only made aware of the artist group's search, but also the disturbing stories they experience, which draw them into a “maelstrom of fear”. Elmiger thus succeeds in establishing a connection between the reader and the characters' profound emotions.

Recognition in the literary world

The German Book Prize has been awarded annually since 2005 for the best German-language novel and is endowed with 25,000 euros. The winner is not only honored for her literary achievement, but the chosen works often have the potential to become bestsellers. Last year's winner, Martina Hefter, received the prize for her novel “Hey, good morning, how are you?” This year there were also five other finalists in the running: Kaleb Erdmann, Jehona Kicaj, Thomas Melle, Fiona Sironic and Christine Wunnicke.

Dorothee Elmiger's award is a confirmation of her remarkable literary ability and her profound discussion of social issues. As the Uri newspaper reported, her work is considered courageous and outstanding. daily news emphasizes that this is not only a win for Elmiger, but also for German-language literature as a whole.