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Literary comeback: Ulrike Kolb receives the Saarland Art Prize!
Ulrike Kolb will receive the Saarland Art Prize 2024 for her literary work in Saarbrücken. A look at their eventful history.
Literary comeback: Ulrike Kolb receives the Saarland Art Prize!
On Friday evening, the Saarland Art Prize in the field of literature was awarded, an event that enriches the cultural landscape of Saarland. Saarbrücken newspaper reports that the award winner Ulrike Kolb, an author born in Saarbrücken and living in Berlin, was honored for her literary work.
Ulrike Kolb received prize money of 7,500 euros for her extraordinary contributions to literature. In her speech at the award ceremony, she reflected on her childhood in Saarland, which she describes as “beautiful”. This time was characterized by sugar beet syrup and the industry that shaped Saarland. Her family includes Erich Kolb, the boss of the Fenner factory, which gave her a special insight into the economic conditions in the region.
Literary achievements and commitment
The jury that decided on the award of the art prize praised the diversity and humanism in Kolb's work. In your book “Schönes Land” you wrote a literary post-war history about the Saarland. In addition, Kolb shows a strong commitment to German-Jewish understanding and reconciliation, which underlines her role as a cultural mediator.
Christine Streichert-Clivot, the Minister of Culture, praised Kolb as an important female voice in literature. Ulrike Kolb, who was born in Saarbrücken in 1942, enjoyed a comprehensive education, including studying at the Werkkunstschule as well as time at a household school in Paris and a language school in London. She also completed training as a foreign language correspondent in Berlin and studied pedagogy.
Looking back on an eventful life story
For Kolb, the evening of the award ceremony was not only a highlight of her literary career, but also an opportunity to talk about personal and social upheavals. In a hotel in Saarbrücken, she reflected on the Nazi era and her “wild marriage” with a Berlin man, which gives a deep insight into the complexity of her life.
After her time as a journalist, including for the Frankfurter Rundschau, Kolb now lives as a freelance writer in Berlin. The award marks her third major prize, after she received the State of Carinthia's Prize at the Ingeborg Bachmann Competition in 1995 and the EugenViehof Honorary Gift from the German Schiller Foundation in 2007. SR.de also points out that the Saarland Art Prize is awarded every two years, with the categories alternating between fine art/architecture, music and literature.