Dorothee Elmiger: Literary triumph and new edition of SpeakEasy”!

Dorothee Elmiger: Literary triumph and new edition of SpeakEasy”!

On October 19, 2025, Dorothee Elmiger was honored as the winner of the German Book Prize. Her novel “The Dutch Women” convinced the jury with an exciting story about a theater group that follows the trail of two missing Dutch women in the South American jungle. The stories that the group shares with each other concern profound topics such as people's descent into their “darkest opposite”. The jury describes Elmiger's language as obscure and her style as a mixture of distance and fascination.

The event will take place as part of the Literary Autumn from October 19 to 26, 2025. Because of the expected crowds, the event was moved from the Cammerspiele to the new location UT Connewitz, just a two-minute walk away. All tickets that have already been purchased remain valid. The Literary Autumn promises numerous readings and events that will attract literature lovers.

The return of “SpeakEasy”

On October 25, 2025, Elmiger will appear in the show “SpeakEasy”, which is experiencing a new edition under the moderation of Rebecca Maria Salentin – known from the previous show “The Badly Painted German Flag”. Here Elmiger will present her award-winning novel “The Dutch Women”, which was published by Carl Hanser Verlag. The novel deals with the explosive topics of people, monsters, fear and violence, as well as the failure of narratives.

A look at the jury and the shortlist

The jury for the German Book Prize 2025 was composed of renowned personalities, including Laura de Weck, the jury spokesperson, and members such as Maria Carolina Foi from the University of Trieste and Jürgen Kaube from the Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung. This year Elmiger beat several strong candidates whose works were on the shortlist:

• Kaleb Erdmann: „Die Ausweichschule” (park x ullstein, Juli 2025)
• Jehona Kicaj: „ë“ (Wallstein Verlag, Juli 2025)
• Thomas Melle: „Haus zur Sonne“ (Verlag Kiepenheuer & Witsch, August 2025)
• Fiona Sironic: „Am Samstag gehen die Mädchen in den Wald und jagen Sachen in die Luft“ (Ecco Verlag, März 2025)
• Christine Wunnicke: „Wachs“ (Berenberg Verlag, März 2025)

On the evening of the award ceremony, a press photo by Dorothee Elmiger will be available at www.boersenverein.de/pressefotos at around 8:30 p.m.

Elmiger's honor is not only another milestone in her career, but also an important event for literature in Germany, which draws attention to the diversity and important topics of young authors.