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The sensitive coming-of-age story “Echtzeitalter” was named the best German-language novel of the year in Frankfurt.
The Austrian author Tonio Schachinger will receive the German Book Prize 2023 for his novel “Echtzeitalter”. This was announced by the German Book Trade Association on Monday in Frankfurt am Main.
Four years ago, Schachinger was on the shortlist for the renowned literary prize with his debut “Not like you”. At that time it was still on Saša Stanišić (“Origin”).
Coming-of-age novel about “gambling”
After the world of a football star, the 31-year-old takes on an elite Viennese school in his second novel, “Real Age”. The coming-of-age novel tells the story of high school student Till, who, without anyone knowing, is one of the ten best players in the world in a real-time strategy game.
Legend:
Schachinger was born in New Delhi in 1992, studied German and language arts in Vienna and still lives there today.
KEYSTONE/DPA/Arne Dedert
Tonio Schachinger describes how Till survives eight years of school in a highly competitive environment with “Age of Empires 2” in his funny and touching book. It’s about the disintegration of the family, friendships, first love. And of course about gaming, because Till’s puberty took place largely online.
Anyone who reads the novel will probably be able to understand much better their own children, nephews, nieces or the neighborhood children who are constantly “gaming” on the Internet.
Jury praises topicality
«Schachinger reflects the political and social conditions of the present with subtle irony: brute force speaks from educated pupils. The world of computer games offers a place of fantasy and freedom,” the jury said in its statement.
Legend:
In addition to Tonio Schachinger, the final round also included Terézia Mora (“Muna or Half of Life”), Necati Öziri (“Father’s Mark”), Anne Rabe (“The Possibility of Happiness”), Sylvie Schenk (“Maman”) and Ulrike Sterblich (“Drifters”).
Christophe Jacob
“The text deals with the question of the social place of literature in a narratively outstanding and contemporary way. »
This year, the jury viewed a total of 196 novels from 113 German-language publishers.
Classifying words from the winner
During his acceptance speech, the young, somewhat shy-looking Tonio Schachinger explicitly did not thank the jury for the award, because they were only doing their job. Instead, he thanked his wife, from whom he learned everything he knew.
He also did not want to comment on Israel and the terrible events of the last week. Not out of disinterest, but out of the conviction that as a “little writer,” as he called himself, he didn’t have any big speeches to give. Nevertheless, in the very next sentence he said that in view of such events the importance of a book prize is greatly reduced.
On the one hand it is difficult not to say anything about it, but it is also pointless to say anything about it. “We may all find ourselves in a bit of this dilemma.”