Novelist Kim Young-ha Wins German Crime Literature Award for 'The Plotters'

Novelist Kim Young-ha [Photo by Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Byunghee Park] Novelist Kim Young-ha has received the German Crime Fiction Award (Deutscher Krimipreis) for his novel Memoir of a Murderer.

The German Crime Fiction Award jury announced on the 28th (local time) on their website that Memoir of a Murderer ranked 3rd in the international category of the 2020 German Crime Fiction Award.

Jury member and literary critic Jonja Hartl commented, "In Memoir of a Murderer, one can find a profound black comedic reflection on life and death," adding, "While discussing the status of art and mocking the traditional way of narrating serial killings, the protagonist gradually unravels." He emphasized, "It is very, very worth reading."

Memoir of a Murderer is a novel Kim Young-ha published in 2013. With translation and publication support from the Literature Translation Institute of Korea, the German translation was published this year by Cass Verlag, an independent publisher specializing in Korean and Japanese literature.

The German Crime Fiction Award is the oldest crime fiction award in Germany, established in 1985. Crime fiction critics, scholars, and bookstore professionals select the best crime novel of the year. The award aims to recognize novels that are original in content, literarily excellent, and provide new stimulation to the crime fiction world. There is no prize money, no award ceremony is held, and only the winning works are announced.

The 1st and 2nd places in the international category were awarded to Scotland’s Dennis Mina’s Gods and Animals and Australia’s Gary Disher’s Hope Hill Drive, respectively.

In the domestic category of the German Crime Fiction Award, 1st place went to Berlin-based author Joe Beck’s dystopian thriller Paradise City, 2nd place to Max Anna’s Murder Investigation Committee: The Melchior Nicorait Case, and 3rd place to Frank G?hler’s Cursed Love of Amsterdam.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.