World Literary Awards

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Martina Hefter

マルティナ・ヘフター

Martina Hefter

Profile

Gender
Female
Born
1965-06-11 （Pfronten, Germany）
Nationality
Germany
Languages
German
Residence History
Leipzig (since 1997)

Career

Occupations
author, performance artist, dancer, gymnastics teacher
Active Years
2001-
Nominations
Ingeborg-Bachmann-Preis (nominated 2005)

Education

Gymnastics teacher training school (unspecified)
dance
Country: Germany
Initial training as a gymnastics teacher with a focus on dance.
Contemporary performance dance training institutions in Munich and Berlin (unspecified)
contemporary dance/performance
Country: Germany
Additional training in contemporary performance dance in Munich and Berlin.
German Institute for Literature, Leipzig
creative writing
Country: Germany
Studied at the German Institute for Literature in Leipzig. Resident of Leipzig since 1997.

Awards

Fellowship of the Kulturstiftung Sachsen
2002
Organization: Kulturstiftung Sachsen
Result: 受賞
Literature Fellowship of Leipzig
2003
Organization: City of Leipzig
Result: 受賞
Advancement award, Lessing Prize of the Free State of Saxony
2005
Organization: Free State of Saxony
Result: 受賞（奨励賞）
Hermann-Lenz-Stipendium
2005
Organization: Hermann-Lenz-Preis
Result: 受賞
Ingeborg-Bachmann-Preis
2005
Work: Noch auf dem Bahnsteig ...
Organization: ORF / Ingeborg-Bachmann-Preis organizers
Result: ノミネート
Merano Poetry Prize (Lyrikpreis Meran)
2008
Organization: Lyrikpreis Meran / South Tyrolean Artists' Association
Result: 受賞
Lyrikpreis München
2018
Organization: Lyrikpreis München
Result: 受賞
German Literature Fund Grand Prize (Großer Preis des Deutschen Literaturfonds)
2024
Organization: German Literature Fund
Result: 受賞
Literature prize of the state capital Wiesbaden
2024
Organization: State capital Wiesbaden
Result: 受賞
German Book Prize (Deutscher Buchpreis)
2024
Work: Hey guten Morgen, wie geht es dir?
Organization: German Book Prize
Result: 受賞

Awards & Nominations

Works

Major Works

Junge Hunde

2001 novel

Her debut novel, depicting youth and interpersonal relationships.

youthrelationships

Zurück auf Los

2005 novel

A 2005 novel about departure and new beginnings.

departurerebirth

Die Küsten der Berge

2008 novel

A 2008 novel that sensitively portrays the relationship between nature and humans.

naturelandscapeinner life

Nach den Diskotheken

2010 poetry

A poetry collection with motifs of clubs and nocturnal landscapes.

nighturbanityloneliness

Vom Gehen und Stehen. Ein Handbuch

2013 poetry/essay

A work of poetic passages and reflections on walking and standing.

bodymovementexistence

Ungeheuer. Stücke/Gedichte

2016 poetry/plays

A collection combining poems and theatrical elements, exploring intersections of language and body.

bodytheatricalitymateriality of language

Es könnte auch schön werden

2018 poetry

A poetry collection gathering short poems where hope and anxiety intersect.

hopeanxietyeveryday life

In die Wälder gehen, Holz für ein Bett klauen

2020 poetry

A poetry collection weaving images of forests and nature.

forestnaturenarrativity

Hey guten Morgen, wie geht es dir?

2024 novel

Tells the story of Juno, a dancer living with her sick husband, who at night adopts an alternative identity on love-scamming platforms to escape her everyday life and forms an unexpected connection. Praised for its poetic language.

identitytrust and deceptionloneliness

Bibliography

  • Junge Hunde. Novel. (2001)
  • Zurück auf Los. Novel. (2005)
  • Noch auf dem Bahnsteig ... (read at Ingeborg-Bachmann-Preis, 2005)
  • Die Küsten der Berge. Novel. (2008)
  • Nach den Diskotheken. Poems. (2010)
  • Vom Gehen und Stehen. Ein Handbuch. (2013)
  • Ungeheuer. Pieces/Poems. (2016)
  • Es könnte auch schön werden. (2018)
  • In die Wälder gehen, Holz für ein Bett klauen. (2020)
  • Hey guten Morgen, wie geht es dir? (2024)

Style & Themes

Literary Style
poetic and condensed languageperformative style incorporating dance and corporealityexperimental and fragmentary structures
Recurring Motifs
body and movementnight and urban landscapesnature and landscapeidentity and fabrication

Legacy

Known for a distinctive approach that links dance and literature, she has been awarded prizes for both poetry and prose. Her 2024 German Book Prize win brought broader attention.

In Popular Culture

  • Video portrait at the German Book Prize (YouTube)

Quotes

  • The novel "navigates between melancholy and euphoria, reflecting on trust and deception."
    Source: Jury of the German Book Prize (2024)

Trivia

  • Combines dance and performance with literature.
  • Resident of Leipzig since 1997.
  • Hey guten Morgen, wie geht es dir? (2024) was her first novel in 16 years.
  • Won the German Book Prize in 2024.