Internationaldesk:
Jenny Erpenbeck and Michael Hoffman have jointly won the 2024 International Booker Prize for Erpenbeck's novel "Kairos," translated from German by Hoffman. The win marks Erpenbeck as the first German writer to receive the prize, while Hoffmann is the first male translator to achieve the honor. The £50,000 prize will be split equally between them.
"Kairos," written by Jenny Erpenbeck and translated by Michael Hoffman, is set against the backdrop of the fall of East Germany. Described by Judge Eleanor Wachtel as a "richly textured expression of an aching love affair," the novel interweaves personal and national turmoil. Wachtel praised Hoffman’s translation for capturing the unique eloquence and idiosyncrasies of Erpenbeck’s writing, noting in particular the effective use of run-on sentences and detailed emotional vocabulary.
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