Swiss Book Prize 2026: The five nominees have been announced
10-9-2026
Translation: machine translated
Who will win the 2026 Swiss Book Prize? The suspense has lessened by one step today: from 87 submitted titles from 52 publishers, the jury has selected five books for the 2026 shortlist.
«Königin der Nacht» by Lukas Bärfuss, «Hauptsache kein Zeitgeist» by Hayat Erdoğan,
«Die Auster» by Yael Inokai, «Das grosse Eis» by Sonja Sophie Kreis and «Unwucht» by
Sarah Elena Müller are on the shortlist for this year's Swiss Book Prize.
Jury's statement
The jury describes the shortlist as a search for the hidden – from motherhood on the fringes of society and old-age poverty to dependency in a romantic relationship. What the five novels have in common is the question of what we perceive and how we remember – told with the full linguistic range of contemporary Swiss literature.
«Königin der Nacht» by Lukas Bärfuss, Rowohlt:
Lukas Bärfuss tells the story of growing up with a mother who called herself a "bad mother": a woman without education, without money, and without prospects. As an adolescent, he ended up on the street; in her old age, his mother had no other option but poverty migration to the Caribbean. Bärfuss asks what role social and state conditions played in his mother's life situation – and thus turns a family story into an examination of social responsibility.
«Hauptsache kein Zeitgeist» by Hayat Erdoğan, Claassen:
- February 2023: The earth has shaken in Turkey and Syria. The first-person narrator sits at home waiting for news from her relatives while simultaneously reviewing the life she lived as the daughter of a Turkish family in Germany. And then there is the longing for "Niemand" (Nobody), the man who left her and whom she cannot let go. The narrator circles around major themes such as migration and feminism, seeks explanations in social philosophy, reflects on her relationship with her mother, and gets to know herself anew.
«Die Auster» by Yael Inokai, Hanser Berlin:
Dr. Bronstett, the manager of a legendary Berlin department store, is found murdered. 73-year-old cleaner Leonora Bloch has already cleared away all traces by the time the police arrive at the crime scene. It quickly becomes apparent that in this novel, solving the crime is not the main point, but rather the microcosm of the department store world. It is a world where glamour and misery, luxury and poverty collide. With stylistic sophistication, Inokai develops a web of relationships centered on a person who is usually invisible and rarely a novel's protagonist: the cleaner.
«Das grosse Eis» by Sonja Sophie Kreis, Rowohlt Berlin:
Anna has not seen her brother for 40 years. He lives in seclusion in Greenland. After the death of their parents, Anna travels to visit him. While waiting for him in a hotel, she remembers her childhood. Her German mother married across the border into Switzerland in the 1950s, where she was not welcome. While the family ostensibly lives a secure life, the war and its upheavals leave their mark.
«Unwucht» by Sarah Elena Müller, Limmat:
Alice has waited an infinite number of times for Rio, for a call from him, for a sign. They met while studying art. Now he is losing himself in petty criminal activities and drug addiction. She works as a waitress, clings to unfinished love songs, and refuses to see what her friends have long recognized: she needs to get away from him. Seven years later, Alice stands at Rio's door wanting to talk. She is writing a book about their time together to understand her story. But what can one tell, what is one allowed to tell? A powerful novel that explores dependency within a relationship.
The public award ceremony will take place on Sunday, November 15, 2026, as part of the
International Literature Festival BuchBasel.
Header image: Pexels/George Milton
Carmen Baumann
Senior Editor
Carmen.Baumann@digitecgalaxus.chBook lover and loud laugher. I've always got a novel in my bag – and yes, it's always a physical one. From Taylor Jenkins Reid to Kristin Hannah, from biographies to sci-fi and fantasy: if you're looking to dive into the world of books, I've got you covered.
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