Jenny Erpenbeck wins International Booker Prize for ‘Kairos’
The German author shares the award with the translator of the book — Michael Hofmann
Published 24.05.24, 08:19 AM
Image courtesy: @the bookerprizes/Instagram
Jenny Erpenbeck, a German author, has won the International Booker Prize this year, for a compelling love story. The name of her book is Kairos, and Erpenbeck shares the award with the translator of the book, Michael Hofmann. Kairos competed with 149 books and bagged the prestigious prize.
The book, Kairos, is set in East Germany, and is a tale about an older man and young woman, living in East Berlin in the 1980s. Erpenbeck is the first German author, and Hofmann the first male translator to win the Booker Prize. The winning title was announced by the Chair of the judges of 2024 — Eleanor Wachtel. The event was held at Tate Modern in London. The prize money, £50,000, will be equally divided between the author and the translator.
‘It’s a private story of a big love and its decay, but it’s also a story of the dissolution of a whole political system. Simply put: How can something that seems right in the beginning, turn into something wrong?’, shared Erpenbeck about the book, as quoted on the website of the International Booker Prize.
