Books

Claire Keegan wins prestigious German award

Author follows likes of Julian Barnes and Elizabeth Strout as winner of Siegfried Lenz Prize

Author, Claire Keegan, pictured at the Tyrone Guthrie Centre, Annaghmakerrig, Co. Monaghan. Photograph: Dara Mac Dónaill / The Irish Times

Tue May 7 2024 - 20:38

Claire Keegan has been named as the recipient of the €50,000 Siegfried Lenz Prize for 2024.

The prize is awarded to international writers whose creative work is deemed close to the spirit of Siegfried Lenz, the award-winning German writer who established the prize shortly before his death in 2014.

Previous recipients of the award, which is presented every two years, include Julian Barnes, Richard Ford and Elizabeth Strout.

Announcing the 2024 award, the jury described Claire Keegan as “one of the great European storytellers”.

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Reacting to news of the award, Literature Ireland director Sinéad Mac Aodha, said the organisation was “thrilled to see Claire Keegan’s work being recognised in this way in Germany”.

The organisation has worked with the publisher of Ms Keegan’s books, Steidl, since 2004 and the firm has also published translations into German of work by Mike McCormack, Colin Barrett, Caoilinn Hughes, Sebastian Barry and Maeve Brennan.

The Siegfried Lenz Prize award ceremony will take place in Hamburg City Hall in October.

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