As the official English-language media partner for the German Non-fiction Prize 2024, we are delighted to announce the winning book below and to provide an overview of all shortlisted books.

Christina Morina’s A Thousand New Beginnings. Germans and Their Democracy Since the 1980s (Tausend Aufbrüche. Die Deutschen und ihre Demokratie seit den 1980er Jahren) wins the German Non-fiction Prize 2024!

The jury said:

“There is a broad consensus that democracies around the world are in crisis. Yet the question of what it actually means to live democracy is often pushed into the background. Using sources that have received little attention to date, Christina Morina shows how a very different understanding of democracy developed in East and West Germany since the 1980s. Her methodically sophisticated and eye-opening contemporary historical analysis based on letters, petitions and leaflets gives a voice to citizens of East and West Germany. With this book, Morina offers surprising and necessary insights to spur current social debate. Her book risks a great deal, but without polarising – democracy is a process, not a condition.“

To read more about the book, please click here.
Click here for a sample translation by Elizabeth Janik.

We send out warmest congratulations to the author and publisher!

The Shortlist

We are pleased to share information on all of the books shortlisted for the German Non-fiction Prize 2024. The jury for the German Non-Fiction Prize 2024 shortlisted eight titles for the award. The seven members of the jury reviewed 225 books, published since April 2023, and submitted by 115 publishers. 

Jury spokesperson Stefan Koldehoff, Deutschlandfunk, released the following statement: 

“When is a non-fiction book relevant? When does it broaden its readers’ horizons and open their eyes? When does it perhaps even manage to provide answers – both to the pressing questions of the present as well as to the timeless ones? These questions guided us as a jury in our selection of the nominees. Carefully researching the facts is one prerequisite. The other is an original idea that aspires to be understood by anyone who grapples with urgent and timeless questions: How can knowledge of the past help us to understand and shape the present? What systemic deficits prevent problems from being seriously addressed? Why do some myths persist so stubbornly? And is the threat to democracy also tied to an increasingly vulnerable society? Beyond all the many possible topics, what a good non-fiction book always needs is a connection to the present. Then it is relevant.” 

Below, you will find a short summary of each book and the jury’s comments.

The nominated titles are listed below in alphabetical order. Clicking the book cover will take you to the book’s page on the publisher’s website. At the end of the list, you can download a PDF of all titles, including jury comments and an author biography for each book.

About the book: We’ve known about global warming and its dangers for decades. Yet global greenhouse gas emissions are continuing to rise. We are failing to stop climate change. For Jens Beckert, the fault lies with the power and incentive structures for companies, politicians, voters and consumers.

The jury said: “With “Selling the Future”, Jens Beckert challenges current climate policy. Refusing to resort to positive thinking or apocalyptic accusations, this book also avoids the well-worn paths of moralised lifestyle choices and market-driven technological openness. From a socio-economically informed perspective, Beckert demonstrates how in many cases our economic system merely externalises the damage from climate change and increases social stress on a global scale. In light of the lack of alternatives, realism is necessary: an expected global warming of 2.5 to 3 degrees Celsius by the end of the century requires not only stronger and more intelligently explained investments but also adaptation. A book that hopefully will spark dialogue and action among many readers from different backgrounds and schools of thought.“

About the book: Its discovery in Tell el-Amarna in Egypt was a sensation, and its presentation in Berlin in 1924 caused a stir far beyond Germany. Taking us on a journey into the world of the pharaohs, Sebastian Conrad describes the dubious circumstances under which the bust of Nefertiti came to Berlin in the age of colonialism, and how its ownership has been disputed ever since.

The jury said: “The bust of Nefertiti has been a source of fascination for centuries, and a wide range of agendas are projected onto it, from pop culture to politics. Sebastian Conrad focuses on the levels of attribution of meaning, starting with the history of its discovery and its fraudulently obtained export licence. On the basis of this very concrete object, he illustrates current global discourses on how to contend with colonial injustice and epistemic hegemonic struggles, with a clear stance on the question of restitution. The book also succeeds in terms of including diverse and emotionally charged fields while demanding that academia, politics and the public reflect honestly on their own interests and implicit judgements.“

About the book: Ruth Hoffmann comprehensively deconstructs the myth of the “Stauffenberg assassination” and traces how 20 July 1944 has been politically instrumentalised since the founding of the Federal Republic of Germany. She makes a contribution to our understanding of a fateful date that still reflects the difficult relationship we have with our own history to this day.

The jury said: “The journalist Ruth Hoffmann has undertaken nothing less than to deconstruct a German myth. The assassination attempt against Hitler on 20 July 1944 has been instrumentalised again and again from different directions, becoming in the process, according to Hoffmann, a “German alibi”. She succeeds in convincingly explaining the various contexts and uncovering the often perfidious ways in which it has been exploited. What is particularly valuable is that she does not get stuck on her chosen example, instead illustrating the historical depth of the events and their impact to this day. The author shows how important it is – particularly against the backdrop of current debates – to take a holistic view, which also offers surprising insights. The fact that she writes about all this in a riveting way won the jury over.“

About the book: Humans and trash have a long and intimate relationship. Based on our production and handling of waste, Roman Köster has written an illuminating history of our species, showing how life with waste has changed from the time humans settled down to the present day.

The jury said: “Waste is generally seen as a problem of consumption, and many public debates centre on waste sorting as a downstream problem. Roman Köster’s great achievement is in describing the production of waste as a problem intrinsic to our economy – “our daily way of life”. His analysis of the history of the creation of waste and its connection to the capitalist economy is easily comprehensible and supported by clear examples. The solution he offers is what what we all suspect: namely, that we cannot maintain the speed of economic life and our own convenience in its present-day form if we want to tackle the problem of waste as part of the current anthropogenic climate change.“

About the book: Many of the currently very heated debates are an expression of a creeping shift in values. More and more, we seem willing to accept restrictions on our individual freedom in order to appease a heightened sense of vulnerability. In her study, Frauke Rostalski draws our attention to this new conflict – and pleads for an open discussion.

The jury said: “Vulnerability: this is a new key concept that has emerged in the face of pressing crises such as war, pandemics and climate change, and it is at the centre of Frauke Rostalski’s book. The legal scholar examines various facets of this phenomenon, from legal protection for particularly vulnerable social groups to an atmosphere in public discourse that can lead to a restriction of individual and social freedoms, especially when it comes to controversial issues. The author astutely analyses the tense relationship between vulnerability and freedom without playing them off against each other. A refreshingly dispassionate, intelligent book which itself attests to the fact that democracy cannot survive without free thought and discussion.“

About the book: Marcus Willaschek traces Kant’s revolution of thought through his work, combining this presentation with biographical and historical miniatures, so that a picture of Kant as a person and philosopher in his time also emerges. At the same time, the present-day relevance – and occasionally also the problematic nature – of his revolutionary thought also becomes clear.

The jury said: “Do we really need another book about Immanuel Kant? The great surprise of Marcus Willaschek’s book is that it makes us want to answer this question with a resounding “yes”. The author succeeds in making the entire thematic breadth of Kant’s thought accessible and comprehensible with impressive clarity. That alone is commendable. Yet the book’s particular achievement lies in demonstrating Kant’s topicality by constantly drawing connections to current debates and concepts: freedom, democracy and human dignity, the motivation for political action in the face of dramatic crises, the importance of the project of enlightenment and the limits of our knowledge – without losing its critical distance to Kant. Yes, it is possible to understand Kant’s thinking. And yes, you should. Now more than ever.“

About the book: The war in Palestine is propagated from generation to generation. Moshe Zimmermann names the culprits and, from this, concludes that there is a path towards a solution: turning away from the settlement policy, from the policy in Gaza to date and from Islamism and towards a two-state solution and increased support from the international community.

The jury said: “With “Peace Never?”, Moshe Zimmermann, one of the most important contemporary historians, makes an important, factual contribution to a discussion that is virtually unavoidable after the 2023 terrorist attack on Israel and the violent reaction to it. He expertly describes the decades-long vicious circle of violence and counter-violence and the clash of civilisations in his home country: between West and East, between Jews and Muslims, between violent and liberal groups on both sides. He also includes the Palestinian perspective and proposes a shared constitutional structure for both states. Offering a wealth of perspectives, this book is helpful for anyone who prefers to be informed before passing judgement.“

For the jury’s comments on each book, and a biography of the author, summarised in a pdf please click here.

In addition to Stefan Koldehoff, the members of the jury are: Sibylle Anderl (DIE ZEIT), Julika Griem (Institute for Advanced Study in the Humanities [KWI] Essen), Michael Hagner (ETH Zurich), Michael Lemling (“Buchhandlung Lehmkuhl” bookshop), Patricia Rahemipour (Institute for Museum Research, Prussian Cultural Heritage Foundation) and Katrin Vohland (Natural History Museum Vienna). 
 

This year, for the fourth time, the Stiftung Buchkultur und Leseförderung des Börsenvereins des Deutschen Buchhandels (Foundation for Book Culture and the Promotion of Reading of the German Publishers and Booksellers Association) award this prize, worth a total of 42,500 euros, to the original German-language edition of an outstanding non-fiction book that inspires social debate. 

The Deutsche Bank Stiftung (Deutsche Bank Foundation) is the main supporter of the prize, which is also backed by the city of Hamburg and Frankfurter Buchmesse. Minister of State for Culture Claudia Roth is patron of the prize. 

Get to know the nominees: conversations, films and blogger reviews 

Together with its partners, the German Non-Fiction Prize offers its nominees a platform. Reading enthusiasts and book lovers can get to know the nominated titles and their authors through conversations, discussion panels and films, and in bookshops. More information about these events is available at www.deutscher-sachbuchpreis.de/en/events  

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