Kurd Laßwitz Preis 2020 Finalists

The finalists for the 2020 Kurd Laßwitz Preis were announced on March 29. The award, named after German author Kurd Laßwitz, is given to works written in or translated into the German language and published during the previous year.

The German language editions of Margaret Atwood’s The Testaments, Adrian Tchaikovsky’s Dogs of War, and Arkady Martine’s A Memory Called Empire  are some of the finalists for Best Foreign Novel. And in the Best Translation category, the translators of Death’s End by Cixin Liu, The Murderbot Diaries omnibus, and John Scalzi’s The Consuming Fire are among the nominees.

Voting is open until May 31. The winners will be announced at ElsterCon 15 in Leipzig, Germany, on September 19, 2020.

Best German language novel first published in 2019:

  • Ein Fremder unter Millionen (Koloniewelten, Band 3) by Galax Acheronian, Twentysix
  • Metropole 7 (Der Letzte Admiral, Band 1) by Dirk van den Boom, Cross Cult
  • Die Nacht war bleich, die Lichter blinkten  by Emma Braslavsky, Suhrkamp
  • Neptunation by Dietmar Dath, Fischer Tor
  • Perry Rhodan – Das Größte Abenteuer by Andreas Eschbach, Fischer Tor
  • Miami Punk by Juan S. Guse, S. Fischer
  • Das Ewigkeitsprojekt by Caroline Hofstätter, Atlantis
  • Die zweite Erde by Christian Humberg, Lübbe e-books
  • Der Moloch by Michael K. Iwoleit, Fabylon
  • Der Garten des Uroboros by Michael Marrak, Amrun Verlag
  • Am Abgrund der Unendlichkeit by Bernd Perplies, Bastei Lübbe
  • Shape Me by Melanie Vogltanz, Ohne Ohren

Best German language short fiction first published in 2019:

  • “Die Eismaschine” by Dirk Alt in Nova 27, edited by Michael K. Iwoleit and Michael Haitel, p.machinery
  • “1Raum” by Gabi Blauert in Flucht von Zamura, edited by Peggy Weber-Gehrke, Modern Phantastik
  • “Die zweite Generation” by Victor Boden in  Exodus 39, edited by René Moreau, Olaf Kemmler and Fabian Tomascheck, Exodus Verlag
  • “Vom Krug auf dem Hügel in Tennessee” by Christopher Ecker in Exodus 39, edited by René Moreau, Olaf Kemmler and Fabian Tomascheck, Exodus Verlag
  • “Die beste aller Welten” by Frank W. Haubold in Nova 27, edited by Michael K. Iwoleit and Michael Haitel, p.machinery
  • “Das Fermi-Paradoxon, ein Erklärungsansatz” by Axel Kruse in Flucht von Zamura, edited by Peggy Weber-Gehrke, Modern Phantastik
  • “Belichtungszeit” by Thorsten Küper in Elvis hat das Gebäude verlassen, edited by André Skora, Armin Rößler und Frank Hebben, Begedia
  • “Koloss aus dem Orbit” by Jacqueline Montemurri in Exodus 39, edited by René Moreau, Olaf Kemmler and Fabian Tomascheck, Exodus Verlag
  • “Score!” by Barbara Schwarz in c’t 16/2019, heise
  • “Die Aura oder Im Zustand der Gnade” by Angelika and Karlheinz Steinmüller in Tor-Online.de
  • “URM 6754 und die Sphärenklänge” by Angelika and Karlheinz Steinmüller in Sphärenklänge by Angelika and Karlheinz Steinmüller, Golkonda
  • “Don’t Be Evil” by Tom Turtschi in Nova 28, edited by Michael K. Iwoleit and Michael Haitel, p.machinery
  • “Zeitspringer” by Matthias Weber in Gegen unendlich 15, edited by Michael J. Awe and Andreas Fieberg, p.machinery  

Best foreign novel first published in German in 2019:

  • Die Zeuginnen (The Testaments) by Margaret Atwood, Berlin Verlag
  • Wie man einen Toaster überlistet (Unauthorized Bread) by Cory Doctorow, Heyne
  • Der zweite Schlaf (The Second Sleep) by Robert Harris, Heyne
  • Die Mauer (The Wall) by John Lanchester, Klett-Cotta
  • Jenseits der Zeit (Death’s End) by Cixin Liu, Heyne
  • Die Reise (Noumenon) by Marina Lostetter, Heyne
  • Im Herzen des Imperiums (A Memory Called Empire) by Arkady Martine, Heyne
  • The Electric State by Simon Stålenhag, Fischer Tor
  • Miss Maxwells kurioses Zeitarchiv (Just One Damned Thing After Another) by Jodi Taylor, Blanvalet
  • Im Krieg (Dogs of War) by Adrian Tchaikovsky, Heyne
  • Tagebuch eines Killerbots (The Murderbot Diaries omnibus) by Martha Wells, Heyne
  • Die Dynastie der Maschinen (Clockwork Dynasty) by Daniel H. Wilson, Knaur

Best translation first published in 2019:

  • Karin Betz for Jenseits der Zeit (Death’s End) by Cixin Liu, Heyne
  • Frank Böhmert for Tagebuch eines Killerbots (The Murderbot Diaries omnibus) by Martha Wells, Heyne
  • Andreas Fliedner for Die letzten Tage von New-Paris (The Last Days of New Paris) by China Miéville, Golkonda
  • Bernhard Kempen for Mars Override (Thin Air) by Richard K. Morgan, Heyne
  • Bernhard Kempen for Verrat (The Consuming Fire) by John Scalzi, Fischer Tor
  • Friedrich Mader for Luna Trilogie (Luna trilogy) by Ian McDonald, Heyne
  • Birthe Mühlhoff for Micro Science Fiction by O. Westin, Mikrotext
  • Pia Oberacker-Pilick for “Interferenz” (Interferencia) by Vlad Hernandez in c’t 24/2019, heise
  • Gesine Schröder for Der Gott am Ende der Straße (The Future Home of the Living God) by Louise Erdrich, Aufbau Verlag

Best cover art first published in 2019:

  • Stefan Böttcher for Gegen unendlich 15, edited by Michael J. Awe and Andreas Fieberg, p.machinery  
  • Alice Conisbee for Miami Punk by Juan S. Guse, S. Fischer
  • Arndt Drechsler for phantastisch! 73, edited by Klaus Bollhöfener, Atlantis
  • Martin Frei for Interferenz by Christopher L. Bennett, Cross Cult
  • Jan Hoffmann for Exodus 39, edited by René Moreau, Olaf Kemmler and Fabian Tomascheck, Exodus Verlag
  • Timo Kümmel for Userland, Berlin 2069 by Uwe Hermann, Atlantis
  • Michael Marrak for Der Garten des Uroboros by Michael Marrak, Amrun Verlag
  • Jens Maria Weber for Maschinengötter by Kai Meyer, Fischer Tor

Best German language audio drama first broadcast in 2019:

  • Unser Leben in den Wäldern by Marie Darrieussecq and Gerrit Booms, WDR
  • Exit. Bericht aus einer verseuchten Zukunft by Bianca Döring, WDR
  • Let them eat money. Welche Zunkunft?! by Andreas Veiel, RBB/DLR

Special award for one-time outstanding achievements in SF in 2019:

  • Dietmar Dath for his non-fiction book Niegeschichte
  • Ulrich Hilgefort, Isabel Grünewald und Peter Schmitz for the c’t SciFiCast
  • Melanie Wylutzki, Hardy Kettlitz and Klaus Farin for their efforts to rescue Das Science Fiction Jahr

Special award for longterm outstanding achievements in SF in 2019:

  • Michael Haitel as publisher of p.machinery and for his work with the SFCD
  • Dieter von Reeken for his achievements in preserving classic German science fiction and recording the history of German science fiction
  • Peggy Weber-Gehrke and Rico Gehrke for their support for German language short science fiction
  • Heinz Zwack for his lifetime achievement as a writer and translator

[Thanks to Cora Buhlert for the story.]

4 thoughts on “Kurd Laßwitz Preis 2020 Finalists

  1. I love it… the German title for Unauthorized Bread is “How to outsmart a toaster”. 😀

  2. A much better title IMO than the original.

    Though some of the translated titles are weird, e.g. John Scalzi’s The Consuming Fire becomes just plain “Treason”. And Marina Lostettter’s Noumenon is just “The Journey”. Both titles are much duller than the originals.

    I’m also really thrilled to see Murderbot get so much love in Germany.

    The translator of O. Westin’s Micro SFF got a nod as well, which is lovely.

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