The award ceremony

Announcing the Non-Fiction Book of the Year

2024

Tausend Aufbrüche -

Non-Fiction Book of the Year 2024

Tausend Aufbrüche

Christina Morina

Awardee

Jury evaluation

“There is a broad consensus that democracies around the world are in crisis. Yet the question of what it actually means to live democracy is often pushed into the background. Using sources that have received little attention to date, Christina Morina shows how a very different understanding of democracy developed in East and West Germany since the 1980s. Her methodically sophisticated and eye-opening contemporary historical analysis based on letters, petitions and leaflets gives a voice to citizens of East and West Germany. With this book, Morina offers surprising and necessary insights to spur current social debate. Her book risks a great deal, but without polarising – democracy is a process, not a condition.”

The speech of the awardee

The award ceremony took place on 11 June 2024 at the Elbphilharmonie concert hall in Hamburg. It was hosted by Katja Gasser (ORF). Karin Schmidt-Friderichs, President of the Börsenvereins des Deutschen Buchhandels, offered words of welcome to open the ceremony. Then the nominated books were introduced and Katja Gasser discussed this year's selection with jury spokesperson Stefan Koldehoff (Deutschlandfunk). After a key note by Dr. Carsten Brosda, Senator for Culture and Media of the Free and Hanseatic City of Hamburg, Karin Schmidt-Friderichs announced the Non-Fiction Book of the Year 2024.

The award ceremony
The German Non-Fiction Book of the Year 2024

About the German Non-Fiction Prize

The German Non-Fiction Prize is presented to the non-fiction book of the year as an annual award of the Stiftung Buchkultur und Leseförderung (Foundation for Book Culture and the Promotion of Reading). The award is given to outstanding non-fiction in German-language original edition that inspires social debate. The German Non-Fiction Prize is endowed with a total of 42,500 euros. The winner receives 25,000 euros, the seven nominees 2,500 euros each.

Publishers could submit two German-language monographs each from their current or planned programme. The seven members of the jury have reviewed 225 titles and nominated eight non-fiction books for the award. Now they have chosen the German Non-Fiction Book of the Year from this selection.


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Logo Deutsche Bank Stiftung

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