Maja Haderlap (Bild: Johannes Puch)
Bachmann prize goes to Maja Haderlap
The vote could not have been more exciting - the jury took four ballots to agree on Maja Haderlap as the Bachmann Prize winner for 2011. The Kelag Prize also took three ballots to find a winner.
Four rounds of voting required
The election took place in an open vote, and the jury members had to justify their choices. At first there were two votes each for Steffen Popp, Maja Haderlap, Nina Bußmann and Leif Randt.
Run-off between Popp and Randt
In a second ballot three jurors voted Haderlap, still one vote too few. Then the choice was between Popp and Randt over who should compete against Haderlap, and Popp was chosen.
Maja Haderlap Preisverleihung (Bild: Johannes Puch)
from left: Mayor of Klagenfurt Christian Scheider, Maja Haderlap, City Councillor Albert Gunzer
Popp versus Haderlap
In the fourth ballot it was Haderlap versus Steffen Popp with the text "Spur einer Dorfgeschichte". Steffan Popp was invited by Meike Feßmann.
Maja Haderlap's text "Im Kessel" was invited to Klagenfurt by Daniela Strigl. She read a story dealing with childhood memories of the Kärnten-Slovenians, with the Second World War and the partisan resistance to the Third Reich.
The Ingeborg Bachmann Prize carries an award of 25,000 Euro.
Maja Haderlap: "Erzähle die Erzählungen anderer"
Kelag prize goes to Steffen Popp
The Kelag prize (10,000 Euro) also needed three ballots. In the first elimination round, Nina Bußmann was up against Randt. Then it was Bußmann against Popp, and Popp won the vote.
Steffen Popp was invited by Meike Feßmann and read the text "Spur einer Dorfgeschichte".
Steffen Popp Kelag-Preis (Bild: Johannes Puch)
The 3sat prize goes to Nina Bußmann
The 3sat prize (7500 Euro) required only one ballot, with Nina Bußmann against Leif Randt. Her text "Große Ferien" was invited by Paul Jandl.
Nina Bußmann, 3sat-Preis (Bild: Johannes Puch)
Hubert Novak, Managing Editor 3sat Austria, presented the award to Nina Bußmann
Ernst Willner prize to Leif Randt
The Willner prize (7,000 Euro) needed two rounds of voting. Leif Randt won against Julya Rabinowich. Leif Randts text "Schimmernder Dunst über Cobycounty" was nominated by Alain Claude Sulzer.
Leif Randt Willner-Preis (Bild: Johannes Puch)
ORF Country Director Willy Haslitzer congratulates Leif Randt
Audience award goes to Thomas Klupp
Thomas Klupp is the winner of the VILLIglas audience award (7,000 Euro), which was determined on Saturday afternoon via internet voting from internet users all around the world. The text "9to5 Hardcore" was invited by Hubert Winkels.
Thomas Klupp, Publikumspreis (Bild: Johannes Puch)
Head of VILLIglas Philip Daniel Merckle presents the audience award to Thomas Klupp
Burkhard Spinnen, Abschlussrede (Bild: Johannes Puch)
Spinnen: Annual exercise in humility
In his closing remarks, the jury chairman Burkhard Spinnen said that this annual trip to Klagenfurt was for him an exercise in humility.
"Once a year I come to Klagenfurt for an exercise in humility. Here I can learn, just how many opinions are possible about a single subject. How convictions that were solid granite blocks can be crushed to sand. There was hardly a single text that was not interpreted and commented on in different ways. There was hardly a judgement that didn't encounter strong opposition. When I arrive home from Klagenfurt, that place of humility, I often feel as though I am starting all over again with reading, understanding and with writing. The innermost core of literature is not a subject where one can be entirely familiar. On the contrary, it is an adventure into which one plunges headlong over and over again, without knowing how it ends".
He thanked all for a "wonderful, dreadful" event.
Die Laudationes der Jury (German)
Alle Preisträger 2011 (Bild: Johannes Puch)
Shortlist of candidates
The shortlist of pre-selected candidates included: Nina Bußmann, Gunther Geltinger, Maja Haderlap, Thomas Klupp, Steffen Popp, Julya Rabinowich, Leif Randt. Gunther Geltinger and Julya Rabinowich left empty handed.
Petra Haas
The best pictures from the 2011 competition
TDDL 2011
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