Last Saturday, Xaver Bayer was presented with the Hermann Lenz Award 2008 sponsored by Hubert Burda Media at the Bavarian Maxlrain Castle. The Viennese born in 1977 is the author the novels “Heute könnte ein glücklicher Tag sein” (Today might be a Happy Day) (2001), “Die Alaskastraße” (The Alaska Street) (2003) and “Weiter” (Further) (2006). His first volume of stories, “Die durchsichtigen Hände” (The Transparent Hands), was published in July 2008. In 2002, Bayer had already received a grant from the Hermann Lenz Foundation.

The jury members Peter Handke, Alfred Kolleritsch, Michael Krüger and Peter Hamm praised particularly his novel “Weiter”. They found his impressive images of forsakenness and disorientation to be proof of his immense narrative talent.

Michael Krüger delivered the speech in honor of the Vienna-based author; Hubert Burda Media presented the check for € 15,000. Bayer gave heartfelt thanks and read two stories from his current volume.

At the occasion, the year’s laureates of the Hubert Burda Award for Eastern European poetry were honored as well. The awards, each in the amount of 5,000 Euros, went to the Polish poet Tadeusz Dabrowski, the former rock musician and present culture editor Delimir Resicki from Croatia and Valzyna Mort, who was born in Minsk and currently lives in the USA. Nancy Hünger, Reinhard Kaiser-Mühlecker and Kerstin Preiwuß received grants.