The author Anja Reumschüssel has been awarded this year's "Buxtehuder Bulle" youth literature prize. The 40-year-old author is being honored for her book for young people "Über den Dächern von Jerusalem" (Carlsen Verlag), the city of Buxtehude near Hamburg announced on Wednesday. "I'm excited, it's not every day you win a book prize," said the Dresden-born author after the announcement on Tuesday evening in the Hanseatic city.
Reumschüssel, who lived in Israel for a long time and now lives near Stendal (Saxony-Anhalt), sheds light on the Middle East conflict in a story that spans generations. She wrote the novel before the Hamas attack on Israel on October 7, 2023. It takes place on two time levels - 1947/1948 and 2023 - in Jerusalem: four people meet and talk to each other above the rooftops.
The official award ceremony for the youth literature prize, which is endowed with 5,000 euros, is planned for November 7, when the winner will also receive a steel sculpture in the shape of a bull. The "Buxtehude Bull" has been awarded since 1971. Every year, a jury of eleven young people and eleven adults decides who will be honored.
