Simone Scharbert wins W. G. Sebald Literature Prize 2026

Author Simone Scharbert has been awarded the 2026 W. G. Sebald Literature Prize. Her winning text, "Einer liegt, eine sitzt. Kammerprosa," was selected from 592 anonymous submissions.

The jury praised the work for its ability to renew the narrative of the Holocaust through a precise language and the intertwining of two different boundary experiences: a dying father in the present and a woman in a concentration camp in 1942. The prize, which includes 10,000 euros, is awarded by the Deutsche Sebald Gesellschaft e. V. in cooperation with the cities of Kempten (Allgäu) and Sonthofen.

The award ceremony is scheduled to take place on June 6, 2027, in Sonthofen.