By Porter Anderson, Editor-in-Chief | @Porter_Anderson
See also:
Germany’s BücherFrauen Honor Mely Kiyak With Their First ‘Christine’ Prize
Germany’s BücherFrauen, Book Women, Issue Their Prize’s Shortlist
Award Ceremony: November 15
As some of our readers may recall, the BücherFrauen Literaturpreis—Book Women Literature Prize—is a program of the industry network for women in the German-language book industry. It was founded in 1990 and based on England’s Women in Publishing organization.
This is a biennial award, and so you have seen it mentioned only twice in the past, in 2021 and 2023.
In this third iteration, the honor again carries a cash purse of €10,000 (US$11,575), and, as announced today (August 4) its five shortlist books are drawn from an eleven-title longlist.
This award is for works of literary fiction in the past two years. Those works can be written in German or translated into it. If a translation is the winner, then the award money is split evenly between author and translator.
The program says that it distinguishes “female authors whose writing contributes to the equality of genders and to the strengthening of women and girls.”
This is the prize, as you might remember, that provides its winner with a copy of Kassandra Becker’s figurine named Christine, after the 14th-century writer and philosopher Christine de Pizan.
An award ceremony is scheduled this year for November 15 at Haus Dacheröden in Erfurt. The winner is not to be known until shortly before the ceremony.
The 2025 BücherFrauen Literaturpreis Shortlist
| Name of Author | Title of Novel | Publishing Imprint | Translator |
| Dulce Chacón | Was Hortensia nicht mehr erzählen konnte | w_orten & meer | Friederike Hofert |
| Mareike Fallwickl | Und alle so still |
|
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| Myriam Leroy | Rote Augen | Édition Nautilus | Daniela Högerle |
| Mirrianne Mahn, | Issa | ||
| Sylvie Schenk | Maman | Hanser |
Previous Winners of the BücherFrauen Literaturpreis
The first awardee in 2021 was Mely Kiyak for her book Frausein (Womanhood), from Hanser Literaturverlage. Our story on the 2021 program is here.
In 2023, Slata Roschal won with Formen des Nichtseins (153 Forms of Non-Being). Our story on the 2023 program is here.
The 2025 jury comprises:
- Literature promoter Magda Birkmann;
- Bookseller and supervisor Christiane Goebel; and
- Publisher Kristine Listau.
The jury’s statement on the release today of the shortlist reads, “We live in a time full of political crises, a time that seemingly accepts every misogynistic backlash. Many achievements of the women’s movement are at stake. It’s important not to close our eyes before this.
“Therefore, we were happy to read important literature in pursuit of this goal, without exception. Because our political aims require a kind of literature that analyzes the present, looks back and tells what was, and–not least–gives us the strength to look forward.”
More from Publishing Perspectives on women in publishing is here, more on the world’s many publishing and book awards is here, and more on diversity and inclusivity is here.