Thomas Melle in conversation

In 2026, the Kleist Prize goes to the novelist and playwright Thomas Melle for his »work that is unsettling in the best sense of the word«. This is how the publisher Heinrich von Berenberg, appointed by the jury to chose this year’s winner, put it in his statement: ‘No other contemporary German-speaking author has succeeded as Thomas Melle has in holding up a mirror to 21st-century social life, as we know it, that is both realistic and artfully crafted. Anyone who looks into it, anyone who reads this author, will find their life transformed – and that is, in fact, the very most that literature can do.’

In his highly acclaimed novels »Die Welt im Rücken« and »Haus zur Sonne« Melle has come to terms with his life with bipolar disorder and depression. Above all, however, he has repeatedly made his mark as a playwright – and thus follows in the finest tradition of Heinrich von Kleist, whose 250th birthday will be celebrated next year.

Thomas Melle talks to the author and journalist Svealena Kutschke about his relationship with Kleist, what he plans to do with the prize money of 30,000 euros, and his perspective on his past and future work.