The 2026 Rheingau Literature Prize has been awarded to author Lukas Rietzschel for his novel \u201cSanditz.\u201d The award, established by the Rheingau Literature Festival, is being presented for the 33rd time this year. The prize comes with a cash award of 11,111 euros and 111 bottles of the finest Rheingau Rieslings. The Hessian Ministry of Science and Research, Art, and Culture, as well as the Rheingau Music Festival e.V., each contribute 5,000 euros to the prize, which is supplemented by 1,111 euros from the Relais & Ch\u00e2teaux Hotel Burg Schwarzenstein. The exquisite wines come from the outstanding cellars of the Association of German Rheingau Pr\u00e4dikat Wine Estates. hr2-hultur is a media partner of the Rheingau Literature Festival.<\/p>\n
From the jury\u2019s statement: \u201cIn his novel *Sanditz*, Lukas Rietzschel tells a family story set in Lusatia that spans nearly half a century, from the 1970s to the war in Ukraine. This period encompasses the social upheavals in the GDR that led to reunification, but also the disappointments experienced afterward by the residents of the fictional town of Sanditz\u2014who were eager for a fresh start\u2014and the resulting skepticism toward the achievements of the new era. Focusing on three generations of the Wenzel family, Rietzschel offers an exemplary study of the disintegration of a community, in which the atmosphere of the novel grows increasingly tense, centered on the narrative focal point of Sanditz. In this way, the tradition of \u201cWende\u201d novels is both continued and expanded to include the transformation that began after 1990. Rietzschel succeeds in creating a German portrait that broadens our perspective: reaching far to the east and extending well beyond Germany\u2019s borders\u2014and beyond all clich\u00e9s. His Wenzels are figures of the world from Lusatia.\u201d<\/p>\n
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