Austrian Book Prize 2023 to Clemens J. Setz
Clemens J. Setz is the winner of the Austrian Book Prize 2023 with his latest novel, Moons before the Landing, published by Suhrkamp.
The book, which will be published in Italy by La Nave di Teseo, has also been nominated for the Deutscher Buchpreis 2023, the Leipziger Buchpreis 2023 and was selected by New Books in German.
Here is the jury's statement:
"Clemens J. Setz's novel tells the life of a lateral thinker "avant la lettre" without ridiculing or, conversely, trivialising his obscure world of thought. The inner life of the protagonist Peter Bender […] is revealed in all its shades and social ramifications, but never denounced […] The culturally, historically and linguistically extremely sensitive narrative never takes sides and never suggests any judgement. In this way, readers can develop their own approach to the complex subject matter and experience the social drift of a man who, despite everything, is engaging "from the inside."
