Two debutants on the shortlist of the Libris Literature Prize 2025

Marijke Schermer and Joost de Vries, with their new novels, won the shortlist of the Libris Literature Prize for the second time – in addition to four writers who have penetrated the final selection for the first time. Those are two debutants, Safae El Khannoussi (Oroppa) and Falun Ellie Koos (Mourner), In addition to Maurits de Bruijn with the « handsome, contemporary ideas novel » Man makes brief and Guido van Heulendonk, with his 'masterpiece' The crown with two peaks.

The jury of the Roman Prize announced this on Monday evening in the TV program News hour. From a pile of 183 entries, the Librisjury selected a long list of eighteen books at the end of January, which has now been reduced to six. In addition, a few prominent figures dropped out: the earlier Libris price winner Mariken Heitman (The ant -caravan), as well as the recent winner of the BNG Literature Prize Leonieke Baerwaldt (Days as strange symptoms) and Thomas Heerma van Voss nominated for the Boon Literature Prize (The archive).

A debut on the shortlist is rare (and two completely), although the signs were good for Safae El Khannoussi (1994): Oroppa Has already been named the best book of the past year and is on the shortlist of the Flemish Boon. The libris jury calls it « hardly believing how a debut novel can open with the stylistic spectacle of Oroppaand how an author can sustain 400 pages.  » El Khannoussi's versatile story about migrants and outcasts provides literature « if the festival of words and metaphors it should be. »

Fringe

The other debut, Mourner Van Falun Ellie Koos (1992) is also a story from a fringe edge: it is a coming-of-age story about an unparalleled childhood that Ada and her weakly gifted brother teaches a lot of resilience. Koos, who previously won the Joost Zwagerman Essay Prize, wrote with Mourner A « moving and raw » story « about masked and poor love. »

Man makes briefaccording to the Librisjury, the third novel by Maurits de Bruijn (1984) is an « exciting » novel about a man who suffers from a group of hanging youths, not only for the « intriguing lines » that he sets out, but also because of the « sharp touches with different discourses of our time » – discussions about heteronity and gentrification are also a bouncing gentrification artists' novel is. Man makes brief is « a story that also plays along as an impetus for thinking ».

Marijke Schermer (1975), who was previously nominated for the Libris Prize with Love, if it is (2019), now gets the shortlist with her fourth novel Eye -catcherwho calls the jury « a novel as a small, precious jewel ». The jury praises the psychological novel about microbiologist Nicola the « sublime, carefully constructed sentences in which love is painfully dissected exactly ».

The oldest and most experienced writer on the list is Guido van Heulendonk (1951), also the only Fleming among the finalists, who was very successful with his novel The crown with two peaks. After many a novel of him remained in the margin, his last work with superlatives was received – also with a nomination for the Literature Prize book voucher. The Libris jury praises him as a « Mastersteller, who wrote an apparently » ordinary « book in a almost mesmerizing way. « The palpable layering of the life of each of the characters » lasts.

Joost de Vries (1983), who previously The Republic (2013) Made the Libris Shortlist, wrote with Higher powers His « best book, » the jury said. In a love story against the backdrop of world history, De Vries shows « how the inescapable choices that two hearts have to make a life much more than all the plot twists of shouting the newspapers and journals, » and he does so in « glittering language. »

In mid -May, under the chairmanship of journalist Sheila Sitalsing, the jury will announce who wins the important literature prize of 50,000 euros.

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