Swiss author Kim De l’Horizon won this year’s German Book Prize with his extraordinary novel “Blood Book”, which deals with, among other things, the non-binary narrative character’s quest for identity. L’Horizon, who says his year of birth is 2666, caused a stir in his speech after the awards ceremony in Frankfurt am Main on Monday, when he shaved his hair in solidarity with women in Iran. In addition to numerous congratulations, the artist has since received threats.
Especially anti-queer messages are registered by the DuMont-Verag. The publisher’s social media official had to remove many hate messages, the “Kölner Stadt-Anzeiger” reports.
According to the information, de l’Horizon’s appointments at the Frankfurt Book Fair should take place as planned, despite security measures. The author, who describes himself as non-binary (i.e. not clearly male or female), sees winning the book prize as an opportunity in the fight against discrimination. “I don’t think the jury just wanted to make a political statement,” de l’Horizon said on the ARD stage of the Frankfurt Book Fair on Wednesday. “I think she also enhanced the literary qualities of my book.”
“Now I have to get a suit of armor”
But now they want to use the spotlight to send a political signal: “I think it’s very common in this society for non-male bodies to be reduced to their bodies and discriminated against on the basis of sex characteristics.” according to his own statements, he does not yet know how to deal with the hate messages. “I need a suit of armor,” he explained.
Source: Krone
I’m Wayne Wickman, a professional journalist and author for Today Times Live. My specialty is covering global news and current events, offering readers a unique perspective on the world’s most pressing issues. I’m passionate about storytelling and helping people stay informed on the goings-on of our planet.
