Esther Gerritsen has won the Boekenbon Literature Prize for her novel Area 19. Gerritsen will receive a cash prize of 50,000 euros. According to the jury, the book is “straightforward about times, sentiments and places and is pertinently topical. The novel is a fine example of science fiction in the polder.” The jury consisted of booksellers, among others. Another planet
The novel Area 19 is about a writer who is one of the few people left on earth while his family and most other people have gone to another planet. Gerritsen has announced that she is working on a sequel.
The jury calls the book “strange, mysterious and unbelievable. Almost to the point of ridiculous, Esther Gerritsen takes you along in a story that takes place in two different worlds. She makes the unattainable perspective recognizable.” Most important award
The Boekenbon Literature Prize, together with the Libris Literature Prize, is the most important award in Dutch-language literature. Previously, the prize was called the AKO Literature Prize. Gerritsen was also nominated for the Libris Literature Prize earlier this year with Gebied 19.