Meyer left the event on Monday after it was announced that the prestigious award would not go to his work but instead to Martina Hefter's book "Hey, good morning, how are you?".
According to the author in his "Spiegel" interview, he still plans to write, but he is done with the German Book Prize: "I say: never again. The mental strain is too much for me."

Meyer Faces Financial Struggles
He added, "If I were at the top of the bestseller list now, I would have 100,000 new readers and could pay off my debts. I would be free from financial worries for a while." Meyer currently has to finance a divorce and has accumulated €35,000 in tax debt.

In the same interview, Meyer also criticized that emotions have been lost in the literary world. In the past, authors like those in "Group 47" would still "argue and shout." The current mindset, where "everyone has to get along," feels foreign to him.

Seven-Member Jury Decides on Book Prize
The German Book Prize is one of the most important awards in the industry and was awarded for the 20th time. The seven-member jury reviewed 197 novels from Germany, Austria, and Switzerland. Besides Hefter and Meyer, the finalists included Maren Kames ("Hasenprosa"), Ronya Othmann ("Seventy-Four"), Markus Thielemann ("From the North Rolls a Thunder"), and Iris Wolff ("Clearings").
Meyer, born in Halle/Saale in 1977 and living in Leipzig, was a finalist with his book "The Projectors." His earlier work "In the Stone" had also been shortlisted for the German Book Prize in 2013. The 47-year-old has already won more than 20 literary awards. In 2008, he received the Leipzig Book Fair Prize for his short story collection "The Night, the Lights."
As some consolation, Meyer can take pride in the fact that "Der Spiegel" included his work "The Projectors" in its list of the 100 best German-language books of recent years. According to the author, this is "worth much more than a prize."

Author Meyer Lashes Out After Missing German Book Prize
Clemens Meyer, a well-known German author, expressed his anger and disappointment after his book "The Projectors" was not awarded the German Book Prize in Frankfurt. Instead, the award went to Martina Hefter for her work "Hey, good morning, how are you?". Meyer, who has won multiple literary accolades in his career, had expected to take home the prestigious prize, which could have eased his current financial difficulties, including €35,000 in tax debt and divorce-related costs.
The emotional toll of the competition has left Meyer vowing never to compete for the German Book Prize again. He criticized the modern literary scene for being too agreeable, contrasting it with the confrontational spirit of past literary circles, such as Group 47. Meyer lamented the loss of heated debates among writers.
Though Meyer missed out on the prize, his novel has been included in "Der Spiegel's" list of the top 100 German-language books of recent years—a recognition he values more than any award.
The German Book Prize is one of the most significant awards in the literary world and is decided by a seven-member jury that reviewed nearly 200 novels from Germany, Austria, and Switzerland this year. Meyer, alongside five other authors, made it to the final round, but the honor ultimately went to Hefter.Clemens Meyer, a prominent German writer, expressed outrage after not receiving the German Book Prize, criticizing the jury and modern literary culture. Financially strained, Meyer vows to never compete for the award again but finds solace in his book being recognized among the best of recent years by "Der Spiegel."
 

In an unexpected turn at the German Book Prize ceremony in Frankfurt, renowned author Clemens Meyer left the event in anger after learning that his book "The Projectors" had not won the coveted award. The prize instead went to Martina Hefter’s novel "Hey, good morning, how are you?"—a result that left Meyer openly criticizing the decision.

Speaking to "Der Spiegel," Meyer did not hold back, describing his outburst at the ceremony as a reaction to what he called "a disgrace for literature." This moment of fury comes amid mounting personal and financial pressures for the writer. Meyer currently faces €35,000 in tax debt and is in the midst of a divorce, struggles that could have been eased if his book had made it to the top of the bestseller list—a likely outcome if he had secured the prize.

The 47-year-old author, whose career has been marked by more than 20 literary awards, now says he is done with the German Book Prize. "The mental strain is too much for me," he said, vowing never to compete again. Meyer also lamented the current literary scene’s lack of emotional intensity, comparing it unfavorably to earlier eras, such as the days of Group 47, when writers were known to argue passionately over their works.

Despite the setback, Meyer finds some comfort in the recognition his book "The Projectors" has received elsewhere. "Der Spiegel" recently named the novel one of the 100 best German-language books of recent years, an acknowledgment that Meyer says "is worth much more than a prize."

The German Book Prize, one of the most prestigious awards in German literature, is decided by a seven-member jury. This year, they reviewed 197 novels from Germany, Austria, and Switzerland before selecting Hefter’s book for the top honor. Meyer had been one of six finalists, alongside authors like Maren Kames, Ronya Othmann, Markus Thielemann, and Iris Wolff. However, for Meyer, the result was a deeply disappointing end to a competition he now vows never to enter again.