In a show of solidarity with the Iranian women protesting for their rights, on Monday, Kim de l’Horizon, the first non-binary author to win the German book prize, shaved their head onstage as they received the prestigious award.
According to AFP, at the award ceremony in Frankfurt, l’Horizon said “This award is not just for me” adding that they think that the jury the text “to send a signal against hatred, for love and for the fight of all those people who are being suppressed because of their bodies.”
The author reportedly gave “a moving speech on a prize as a sign for love and against hatred”, sang a song, and then shaved their head in solidarity with the Iranian women protesting following the death of Mahsa Amini.
Watch it here:
“With tremendous creative energy, the non-binary narrator of Kim de l’Horizon’s novel… searches for a language of their own,” said the jury adding that the “inspired” them.
Kim de l’Horizon won the German book prize for their debut novel titled “Blutbuch” (the Blood book).
The German Book Prize honours the best German-language novel of the year and honours them with a 24,600 dollars or 25,000 euro prize.
