Christian Haller receives the Swiss Book Prize 2023
Published: Sunday, Nov 19th 2023, 14:10
Updated At: Sunday, Nov 19th 2023, 14:13
Retour au fil d'actualité
"Sich lichtende Nebel" is the name of the story for which Christian Haller has been awarded the Swiss Book Prize 2023. The prize, endowed with 30,000 francs, was awarded on Sunday in the foyer of Theater Basel as part of the Buch Basel literary festival.
The jury emphasized the "clarity, beauty and simplicity" of the story "Sich lichtende Nebel", as its president Michael Luisier said. The author has found a coherent way to say what is actually unsayable.
With his work, the 80-year-old Haller prevailed over his younger colleague Sarah Elena Müller and his equally younger fellow nominees Demian Lienhard, Matthias Zschokke and Adam Schwarz, who will each be compensated with 3,000 francs. Luisier said, however, that it was not easy for the jury to choose the winning work - without revealing any further details.
Science and fiction
Haller's short story of around 120 pages gives a literary face to an anecdote from the world of science or, more precisely, physics. It embeds the story of how Werner Heisenberg's epoch-making uncertainty principle came about in a delightful fictional experience.
And he juxtaposes this scientific knowledge with a kind of alter ego figure who, as a non-knower, loses himself in the fog of strange experiences that override the laws of physics.
The honoree was visibly moved in his short speech after the award ceremony. "You are now looking at a person who has spent 60 years honing his language, but is now speechless," said Haller. He said that his book had persistently stood up to the writer, so he was all the more pleased to be rewarded for his work with this prize.
"Writing books makes you resilient"
The sponsors of the Swiss Book Prize are the Basel Literature Association and the Swiss Booksellers and Publishers Association (SBVV). In his speech, the new president of the association, Manuel Schär, emphasized the importance of literature in times of great uncertainty with many lies and half-truths. Writing and reading books makes us resilient, he said.
The Swiss Book Prize was launched in 2008 as a marketing tool. The prizewinner is usually placed at the top of the bestseller lists - either for the first time or again. The nominees also usually experience a sales boost. As the Swiss Book Prize only recognizes German-language Swiss literature, the federal government does not support the award.
A total of 85 titles were submitted for the 16th Swiss Book Prize.
©Keystone/SDA
French 
English 
German 
Spanish 
Arabic