The SPIEGEL Book Prize is a new literary prize from Der SPIEGEL, awarded for the first time in 2025. It recognizes fiction published on the German book market in 2025 – including not only German-language works but also translations of international authors.
Alexandra Polina was commissioned to photograph the cover story for the first SPIEGEL Book Prize. Her editorial showcases some of the 20 nominated titles.
The SPIEGEL Book Prize is an annual award that honors both international books and German novels. It also recognizes the often virtuosic and just as often overlooked artistry of translators.
The seven-member jury in 2025 consisted of German studies scholar Eva Horn, writer Juliane Liebert, literary critic Nora Zukker, editor and critic Miryam Schellbach, as well as Elisa von Hof, Sebastian Hammelehle, and Xaver von Cranach from Der SPIEGEL's culture section. The jury reviewed dozens of books, reading and discussing them before finally agreeing on a selection of 20 novels.
The winner for 2025 was the book 'Lake of Creation' by author Rachel Kushner, translated by Bettina Abarbanell. It was published by Rowohlt. The jury's statement reads: "Rachel Kushner manages to create a heroine with cool precision who is unlikeable, calculating and manipulative – and whom we follow with rapt attention until the very end."
Synopsis: Sadie Smith – 34, ruthless, seductive, and a former FBI agent – is sent by an unnamed client to a remote area in southern France. Her mission: to infiltrate a commune of anarchist environmental activists suspected of carrying out attacks....
Alexandra Polina is represented by the agency JULIA WALDMANN.
