Ricarda Messner wins the Fulda literary award for brilliant debut!

Ricarda Messner wins the Fulda literary award for brilliant debut!

On January 29, 2025, it was announced that Ricarda Messner will receive the Fulda Literature Prize 2025 for her debut "Where the Name Lives". This renowned award has been awarded annually for the best novel debut since 2019. The jury emphasized Messner's novel as the most important debut in the autumn 2024/spring 2025 book season and honors it with prize money of 10,000 euros. The ceremonial award ceremony will take place on June 5, 2025 at 7 p.m. in the Fulda city palace. In this context, Anna Yeliz Schentke will hold the laudation while Laura de Weck moderated through the evening.

The novel "Where the Name Lives" is praised by many critics and readers for his profound examination of topics such as family history, memories, loss and identity. Messner tells of the relationship between a granddaughter and her grandmother, a topic that is closely linked to the National Socialist crimes in Latvia from which her family comes. In her work, Messner also returns to memories of two Berlin apartments, and the desire to preserve the family name Levitanus runs through the narrative.

the jury and the selection

The jury, consisting of Christoph Schröder, Anna Yeliz Schentke, Christoph Peters, Julia Schröder and Zsuzsa Bánk, had the difficult task of creating a shortlist with eight titles from 37 manuscripts submitted. This selection includes works of 28 publishers, which underlines the high quality of the submissions. Messner's debut novel was particularly highlighted and can build on broad recognition in the literary scene.

The attentive dealing with her family history led Messner on a moving trip to Riga, where she tries to understand the traces of her great -grandfather Salomon. During her research, she discovered a window in the former Riga ghetto, which is in direct connection to her family history. These discoveries promote not only the understanding of their roots, but also their own identity and the connection to the crimes of the past.

about Ricarda Messner

Ricarda Messner, born in 1989, is not only an author, but also a co -founder and editor of the respected magazine "Flaneur". This is devoted to a street in another city and has already received several awards. Messner lives and works in Berlin and received the Alfred-Döblin scholarship for her literary work, which further consolidates her literary career.

With the Fulda Literature Prize, she was now able to reach another important milestone. Former winners, such as Johanna Maxl (2019), Edgar Selge (2022) and Konstantin Ferstl (2024), also caused a stir through their debuts. Messner is thus involved in an illustrious list of emerging talents that shape the German literary scene.