Susanne König to receive inaugural Frankfurter Buchmesse U.S. Booksellers Prize
Frankfurt Book Fair New York Inc. is proud to announce that Susanne König, executive director of the independent bookstores POWERHOUSE Arena and POWERHOUSE on 8th, both in Brooklyn, will receive the first Frankfurter Buchmesse U.S. Booksellers Prize.
“We chose Susanne König as the first recipient of this award because she has done a great deal for international literature in her store, and has always been a strong advocate for German books in translation,” said Riky Stock of the Frankfurt Book Fair New York (formerly known as the German Book Office). “Susanne sits on the U.S. jury of New Books in German, and has collaborated with the Festival Neue Literatur for several years. She truly stands out among her colleagues as a champion for translated books.”
The Frankfurter Buchmesse’s New York Office is collaborating with Reading the World to award this prize. Reading the World is a national celebration of literature that showcases translated books across the country, and culminates in New York with two days of literary discussion between authors from across the globe. Jeff Waxman, who spearheads the project, explains: “The movement of a book from author to reader is a long and arduous one, and independent booksellers have always been an integral part of that journey. Like Reading the World, the Frankfurt Book Fair New York has been dedicated to supporting booksellers as a part of our shared mission to bring outstanding literature to readers in every language.”
During her 12-year tenure at POWERHOUSE, Ms. König has produced high-profile book launches on everything from politics and literature to food and pop culture, hosting authors such as Al Gore, David Sedaris, Colum McCann, Karl Ove Knausgaard, Salman Rushdie, Antje Rávic Strubel, and many more. She also hosted the Festival Neue Literatur at POWERHOUSE for several years, and sits on the New Books in German jury.
After spending her childhood and formative years in Germany, Belgium, and Paris, where she worked at Sotheby’s and for French art book publishers, Susanne König moved to New York in 2000 to represent Steidl Verlag in the US. In 2001 she joined powerHouse Books’ editorial staff, and in 2005 she and her husband opened the POWERHOUSE Arena, their first independent bookstore, followed by their second bookstore in 2013. Susanne works and lives in Brooklyn with her husband and son.
The prize is an all-expenses-paid trip to this year’s Frankfurter Buchmesse, which will take place in Frankfurt, Germany from October 11 to October 15. The trip is made possible through funding from the German Foreign Office.
The award ceremony will be held on September 18 at 6.30 p.m. at the POWERHOUSE Arena at 28 Adams Street (RSVP to rikystock@book-fair.com(opens in a new window)). Please join us in offering Susanne König our warmest congratulations.
Frankfurt Book Fair New York Inc.
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New York, NY 10003
T: +1 212 794 2851
Contact: Cian Dinan