Leipziger Heike Geißler wins the Bavarian Book Prize 2025!

Leipziger Heike Geißler wins the Bavarian Book Prize 2025!

What an evening in Munich! On Tuesday evening, Leipzig author Heike Geißler was awarded the coveted Bavarian Book Prize 2025. Her non-fiction book “Despair” won the non-fiction category and was named the best non-fiction book of the year by the jury. Geißler not only receives an important award, but also 10,000 euros, which underlines the importance of her work. daily news reports that the ceremony took place in the residence's All Saints Court Church and the atmosphere of the event was as festive as it was inspiring.

The jury found Geißler's work to be powerful and diverse. Her approach to curating topics ranging from the reality of life in the GDR to current social tensions is particularly interesting. This builds a bridge between the past and the present and stimulates reflection. MDR highlights that her essay is particularly relevant in these turbulent times and provides a strong, authentic voice to address the challenges of today's society.

A remarkable evening

Additional prizes were awarded during the awards ceremony. Dorothee Elmiger received the book prize in the fiction category for her novel “The Dutch Women”. The event, hosted by Judith Heitkamp, ​​not only took place in a stylish setting, but was also broadcast live on Bayern 2 to reach a wider audience. This is not everyday!

There was also the honorary award from the Bavarian Prime Minister, which went to entertainer Hape Kerkeling. And the audience award didn't go away empty-handed either: readers honored the author Tahsim Durgun for his book “Mama, please learn German”. This showed how diverse and lively the literary scene is and which topics resonate with readers.

Prize winner with history

Heike Geißler, born in Riesa in 1977 and now lives in Leipzig, is not only known for “despair”. Her impressive career includes works such as "The Week", "Lying. An Exercise" and "Working". She has proven many times that she has a strong ability to play with words and capture many facets of life. In addition to her work as a writer, Geißler was also active as a guest lecturer at the German Literature Institute in Leipzig and was awarded the Klopstock Prize for New Literature this year.

Developments in literature are not left unnoticed at the Bavarian Book Prize. The official site shows that the prize has been awarded since 2014 and supports both established and new talent. It is a nice confirmation for Geißler and Elmiger that their work is recognized and received attention in a broad context.

With this in mind, we can look forward to seeing what new ideas and works the two authors will present to us in the future. In any case, the Bavarian Book Prize is an exciting highlight in the literary calendar and a good opportunity to question your own reading habits and perhaps discover a new favorite book!