This is a novel about digital communication, self-realization, and art. This is a book that is both evocative and light-hearted. For “Hey Good Morning, How Are You?” Leipzig author Martina Hefter wins the German Book Prize.
Her novel “Hey Good Morning, How Are You?” ” author Martina Hefter won the 2024 German Book Prize.Image: trapezoid
When the 59-year-old was announced as the winner at a ceremony at the Roma Town Hall in Frankfurt, her reaction was one of utter disbelief. Heft said she was really overwhelmed and happy.
“A well-organized book”
According to the jury, it is a well-organized book that “exerts its own unique appeal”. “The novel combines the rigors of everyday life with mythical characters and cosmic dimensions in a mesmerizing way; it moves between melancholy and euphoria, and reflects on trust and deception.”
Heft is also a poet and performance artist who creates a work of art that is autobiographical, contemporary and poetic. The story follows Juno, an artist in his fifties, who lives in Leipzig with his husband Jupiter, a writer who is seriously ill. Jupiter suffers from multiple sclerosis and is unable to leave his apartment without Juno's help.
Juno lives in two worlds. She takes care of her husband during the day and is addicted to the Internet at night. There, she chatted with so-called love scammers: online scammers who use fake profiles to contact people looking for love and hope to exploit them financially. But these people were not fooled, and instead became a kind of freedom for Juno.
Who is exploiting whom here?
Juno uses these chats to distract herself when she can't sleep at night. She hides her true identity and tests how much nonsense she can dream up until the scammer stops writing to her. At some point, you will ask yourself who is cheating on whom in the wrong emotional world. After catching a certain romance scammer, Juno begins chatting further with the man without any obligation. His name was Benu, he was much younger than her and he lived in Nigeria. Despite the distance, a connection developed between the two.
The novel deals with big themes: aging, global imbalances, longing, friendship and love. Heft talks about them succinctly and tenderly. So she replies “Hey good morning, how are you?” A fun and relatable read. In her acceptance speech, Heft said she did not want to give a political speech. Still, she issued a warning. The creation of this novel was completed with the people who accompanied her – “including those who are under the will of a political party. On this beautiful night, I really don't want to mention their names, but under the will of this political party.” “These are people who don't necessarily deserve to be in the middle of society, or shouldn't be here at all because maybe they're the wrong color, or have a disability, or don't feel like they belong to a certain gender.” She knew she didn't have to be in this room to say: “But I would say no matter what, we remain vigilant and we can also speak out.”
Book Award presented for the 20th time
The German Book Award, considered one of the most important prizes in the industry, awarded its 20th edition on Monday. The seven-member jury reviewed 197 novels from Germany, Austria and Switzerland.
The awarding process of the award is divided into several stages: first, a list of 20 works is announced (long list), which is subsequently reduced to 6 (shortlist). In addition to Heft, the finalists include Maren Kames (“Hasenprose”), Clemens Meyer (“Projector”), Ronya Osman (“74” ), Markus Thielemann (“Thunder Rolls in the North”) and Iris Wolff (“Lichtungen”)).
The book award is awarded by the German Book Trade Association Foundation for the Promotion of Book Culture and Reading. “For 20 years, the German Book Prize has provided direction, awakened a love of reading and reflected current and emerging themes and trends. Just as now, it promotes enthusiasm for books and raises awareness of the book medium ,” explains Karin Schmidt-Friderichs, President of the Stock Exchange Association. “The greatest development of the past twenty years has been literature itself, and the perspectives and voices that have become visible through literature.”
The total prize money is €37,500: the winner will receive €25,000 and the other authors on the shortlist will each receive €2,500. Last year, Austrian Tonio Szazinger won the prize for his novel “The Real Times.” (HKL/SDA/DPA)
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