‘Reden ist Verrat’ wins children’s literature prize
Wilma Geldof and Verena Kiefer win Gustav Heinemann Friedenspreis
1 December 2021
On Friday 19 November 2021, the German Gustav Heinemann Friedenspreis 2021 was awarded to writer Wilma Geldof and translator Verena Kiefer for the youth novel Reden ist Verrat, published by Gerstenberg Verlag (original title Het meisje met de vlechtjes, published by Luitingh-Sijthoff in 2018). In the Heinrich Heine Haus in Düsseldorf, the ladies received the cash prize of € 7.500. The book Het meisje met de vlechtjes was produced with a project subsidy from the Dutch Foundation for Literature, and the translation Reden ist Verrat was also supported by the foundation.
Gustav Heinemann Friedenspreis
The Gustav Heinemann Friendenspreis is a prize for children’s literature, established in 1982. The prize is intended for books devoted to the themes of courage, tolerance and (the struggle for) a peaceful life. The prize is awarded by the state government of North Rhine-Westphalia.
Het meisje met de vlechtjes
In the Young Adult book Het meisje met de vlechtjes Wilma Geldof tells the true story of Freddie Oversteegen (1925 - 2018), who took part in the resistance during the Second World War at a young age. She seduces high-ranking Nazis and lures them into the forest, where the Nazis are killed by her resistance comrades. But can you be involved in someone’s death without changing yourself?
The Gustvan Heinemann Friedenspreis jury stated the following about the book:
‘Der Jugendroman erzählt vom mutigen Widerstand in the von den Nationalsozialisten besetzten Niederlanden und besticht durch einen erfrischenden Schreibstil. Autorin Wilma Geldof thematisierts valschichtig und psychologically differenziert die ethical Dimensionen des Widerstands gegen die Nazis. Das entschlossene Handeln der jungen Frau, die im Kampf für die Freiheit ihr Leben riskiert und auch Zweifel empfindet, spendet Hoffnung. Verena Kiefer buys durch ihre bersetzung, die Geschichte der Freddie Oversteegen anschaulich zu vermitteln.’
Het meisje met de vlechtjes was translated into German, Bosnian, Italian, Czech and Slovenian.
More information
- About the Gustav Heinemann Friedenspreis;
- About Het meisje met de vlechtjes;
- View Het meisje met de vlechtjes in the Translation database of the Dutch Foundation for Literature.