Preis der Leipziger Buchmesse 2026 goes to Katerina Poladjan

We are delighted to announce that Katerina Poladjan is the winner in the fiction category of the Preis der Leipziger Buchmesse 2026 for her novel GOLDSTRAND / Golden Sands (Fischer), a story that spans an entire century and traverses the European continent, from Odessa to Rome, via Constantinople and Varna, Bulgaria.

The jury commented:
“How can we tell the story of our lives if we ourselves can barely understand them? Katerina Poladjan masterfully demonstrates how a biography arises from introspection and invention, from storytelling and the navigation of pain. Her language is at once light and profound; she observes her protagonist with affection and gentle irony, until the image of a person preparing for a farewell emerges.”

GOLDSTRAND will soon be published in Italy by Keller Editore.

Below is an overview of the shortlisted titles we represent in Italy:

• Helene Bukowski, Wer möchte nicht im Leben bleiben / Who Would Not Want To Stay In Life (Ullstein)
• Ines Geipel, Landschaft ohne Zeugen. Buchenwald und der Riss der Erinnerung / Landscape Without Witnesses (Fischer) 
• Norbert Gstrein, Im ersten Licht / At First Light (Hanser)
• Jan Jekal, Paranoia in Hollywood. Wie die USA exilierte Künstler erst retteten und dann verfolgten. 1941–1953 (Matthes & Seitz)
  
• Anja Kampmann, Die Wut ist ein heller Stern / Rage is a Bright Star (Hanser)
• Manfred Pfister, Englische Renaissance / English Renaissance (Kiepenheuer & Witsch)