Feridun Zaimoglu, Mainz City Writer 2015
The literary prize, endowed with 12,500 euros, has been awarded jointly by ZDF, the state capital of Mainz and 3sat since 1984. It is undisputedly one of the most important literary prizes in the German-speaking world. The current winner moves into the Stadtschreiberwohnung in the Gutenberg Museum in Mainz.
Zaimoglu's novels deal with the search for happiness on the margins of society and finding a home between Germany and Turkey. The main characters in his literary works are often socially marginalized individuals.
His debut novel, Kanak Sprak, was published in 1997. According to the jury of the Stadtschreiberpreis, in this novel he uses a powerful artificial language that authentically reflects the sound of young people of Turkish origin and at the same time has shaped a very unique, exemplary style of language.
His current novel, Isabel, was published in 2014 and tells the complicated love story of a young woman and a war veteran returning from Kosovo. Here, too, the story revolves around two homeless people far removed from the center of society.
Zaimoglu was born in Bolu, Anatolia, in 1964 and came to Germany with his parents in 1969. He studied art and medicine in Kiel, where he still lives today. He works as a freelance writer, screenwriter, and journalist, is a visual artist and curator, and is also actively involved in political debates.