Donna Leon receives honorary award in Munich
Published: Friday, Jul 5th 2024, 15:20
Zurück zu Live Feed
The US-Swiss author Donna Leon (81) is awarded the honorary prize of the Bavarian Book Prize.
She knows "like no other how to bring the place of longing that is Italy to life in her books and has shaped our image of Venice for many years", said Minister President Markus Söder. "With Commissario Guido Brunetti, she has created one of the most popular investigator characters in contemporary crime fiction," he added.
The Bavarian Book Prize is being awarded for the eleventh time this year. In recent years, the honorary prize has been awarded to Florian Illies, Christopher Clark, Frank Schätzing, Harald Lesch, Joachim Meyerhoff, Cornelia Funke, Tomi Ungerer - and now also to Leon.
She brings her protagonist Brunetti "his comrades-in-arms and antagonists to life with their strengths, weaknesses and often with a wink," said Söder, explaining this year's choice. "And of course there is no Brunetti without Venice. With great attention to detail, Donna Leon presents the city as a lively and authentic setting with its winding alleyways, historic buildings and unique atmosphere, but also its darker side. She skillfully interweaves her exciting plots with profound social criticism and current issues."
The award ceremony will take place on November 7 in the Allerheiligen-Hofkirche of the Munich Residenz.
©Keystone/SDA
German 
English 
French 
Spanish 
Arabic