Ludwig Must Die

Wolfgang Koeppen Prize for Literature 2016

Thomas Hettche’s acclaimed debut novel
A man who spends a weekend in the apartment of his terminally ill brother. The brother, Ludwig, who has traveled to Italy, to fall in love there. And two mysterious guests, who will seal Ludwig’s fate. With potent imagery and suggestive prose, Thomas Hettche explores the power and powerlessness of language and plumbs the limits of what can be told.

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  • Publisher: Kiepenheuer&Witsch
  • Release: 01.08.2011
  • ISBN: 978-3-462-04423-2
  • 184 Pages
  • Author: Thomas Hettche
Ludwig Must Die
Thomas Hettche Ludwig Must Die
Joachim Gern
© Joachim Gern
Thomas Hettche

Thomas Hettche was born in a village at the edge of the Vogelsberg mountains. His essays and novels have been translated into over a dozen languages and have won numerous awards, including the Premio Grinzane Cavour, Wilhelm Raabe Literature Prize, Solothurn Literature Prize and Joseph Breitbach Prize. His novel Heartstring was shortlisted for the German Book Prize 2020 and remained on the SPIEGEL bestseller list for weeks. His books have been translated into numerous languages.

Further Titles

Nox
Thomas Hettche

Nox

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