European Union Prize for Literature
1 appearances
-
Edition 8 (2016) Winner
Benedict Wells
ベネディクト・ウェルズ
Benedict Wells
Aliases:
Benedict von Schirach
Pen Names:
Benedict Wells（Legally changed his surname at 19 and uses 'Benedict Wells' as his published name.）
Profile
- Gender
- Male
- Born
- 1984-02-29 （Munich, West Germany）
- Nationality
- Germany, Switzerland
- Languages
- German
- Residence History
- Bavaria (grew up in boarding schools) → Berlin (moved in 2003)
Career
- Occupations
- Writer, Novelist
- Active Years
- 2003-
- Influenced By
- John Irving
Education
| Institution | Faculty | Department | Degree | Period | Country |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| State boarding school | — | General education | — | 不明 | Germany |
State boarding school
General education
Period:
不明
Year of Graduation:
2003
Country:
Germany
After finishing high school he did not attend university; moved to Berlin in 2003 to pursue writing.
Awards
| Year | Award | Work | Category | Organization | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2008 | Bayerischer Kunstförderpreis | Beck's Last Summer | — | Bavarian arts Förderpreis (awarding body) | 受賞 |
| 2016 | European Union Prize for Literature | The End of Loneliness | — | European Union Prize for Literature (EU) | 受賞 |
| 2016 | Book prize of the Stiftung Ravensburger Verlag | The End of Loneliness | — | Stiftung Ravensburger Verlag | 受賞 |
| 2016 | Favourite book of the independent book shops | The End of Loneliness | — | Independent bookshops association | 受賞 |
| 2018 | Euregio Literature Prize | The End of Loneliness | — | Euregio (regional literature prize) | 受賞 |
| 2021 | Favourite book of the Swiss-German book shops | Hard Land | — | Swiss-German booksellers association | 受賞 |
| 2022 | Deutscher Jugendliteraturpreis | Hard Land | — | Deutscher Jugendliteraturpreis | 受賞 |
Bayerischer Kunstförderpreis
2008
Work:
Beck's Last Summer
Organization:
Bavarian arts Förderpreis (awarding body)
Result:
受賞
European Union Prize for Literature
2016
Work:
The End of Loneliness
Organization:
European Union Prize for Literature (EU)
Result:
受賞
Book prize of the Stiftung Ravensburger Verlag
2016
Work:
The End of Loneliness
Organization:
Stiftung Ravensburger Verlag
Result:
受賞
Favourite book of the independent book shops
2016
Work:
The End of Loneliness
Organization:
Independent bookshops association
Result:
受賞
Euregio Literature Prize
2018
Work:
The End of Loneliness
Organization:
Euregio (regional literature prize)
Result:
受賞
Favourite book of the Swiss-German book shops
2021
Work:
Hard Land
Organization:
Swiss-German booksellers association
Result:
受賞
Deutscher Jugendliteraturpreis
2022
Work:
Hard Land
Organization:
Deutscher Jugendliteraturpreis
Result:
受賞
Awards & Nominations
-
Edition 67 (2022) Winner
Works
Major Works
Beck's Last Summer
2008 NovelA debut novel about a group of young people during a summer, focusing on friendship, growth and the losses of youth.
friendshipcoming-of-ageloss
Adaptations
- [Film] Beck's Last Summer (film) (2015)
Spinner
2009 NovelA work containing elements of short and mid-length fiction, focusing on personal relationships and psychology.
human relationshipsself-discovery
Almost Ingenious
2011 NovelA commercially successful novel in Germany portraying youth, wit and inner struggles.
youth culturehumourconflict
The End of Loneliness
2016 Family drama, NovelA long-form novel about family loss and recovery. Wells worked on it for seven years; it became a long-running bestseller in Germany.
lossfamilylonelinessrenewal
Translations
- English translation by Charlotte Collins (2018)
The Truth About Lying: Ten Stories
2018 Short story collectionA collection of ten short stories about lying and truth.
lyingtruthethics
Hard Land
2021 Novel (coming-of-age)A coming-of-age story set in a fictional Missouri town in 1985, containing homage elements to classic 80s American films.
youthfriendship80s nostalgia
Bibliography
- Beck's Last Summer (2008)
- Spinner (2009)
- Almost Ingenious (2011)
- The End of Loneliness (2016)
- The Truth About Lying: Ten Stories (2018)
- Hard Land (2021)
Adaptations
- Beck's Last Summer (film adaptation 2015, starring Christian Ulmen)
Translations of Works
- Vom Ende der Einsamkeit translated into English in 2018 by Charlotte Collins (The End of Loneliness).
Style & Themes
- Literary Style
- lyrical, emotionally resonant prosecontemporary, accessible narrative voiceintrospective depiction of family and individual psychology
- Recurring Motifs
- loss and grieffamily relationshipsloneliness and renewalyouth and coming-of-age
Legacy
Benedict Wells is a prominent contemporary German-language novelist, widely acclaimed for works such as Vom Ende der Einsamkeit. He has achieved both commercial success and critical recognition, winning several prizes and having his works translated into many languages.
Archives
- German National Library (catalogue)
In Popular Culture
- Beck's Last Summer was adapted into a film in 2015 starring Christian Ulmen.
- The End of Loneliness was a long-running bestseller in Germany and widely read.
Quotes
-
“I used anger – and love.”
Source: The Guardian (interview headline, 2018) (2018)
Trivia
- Born Benedict von Schirach; legally changed his surname to Wells at age 19.
- His books have been translated into 38 languages and have sold over one million copies worldwide (per cited sources).
- For years he did not allow simultaneous e-book publication; hardcover and audiobooks were prioritized.
- As of 2023, only The End of Loneliness had been translated into English.