Eliza Borg and Olaf Kühl: Karl-Dedecius-Preis 2026 laureates! 15.05.2026
The jury of the Karl Dedecius Prize has selected this year’s laureates. In 2026, the distinction goes to Eliza Borg and Olaf Kühl – translators whose work makes an exceptional contribution to the presence of German-language literature in Poland and Polish literature in the German-language literary world.
The winner of the Karl Dedecius Prize for the best translation from German into Polish is Eliza Borg, for her translation of Jenny Erpenbeck’s novel Kairos, @Wydawnictwo ZNAK, Kraków 2025 / Penguin Random House, Munich 2021.
The prize for the best translation from Polish into German has been awarded to Olaf Kühl for his translation of Szczepan Twardoch’s novel Die Nulllinie. Roman aus dem Krieg / Rowohlt Berlin 2025 / Null, Marginesy, Warsaw 2025.
The Karl Dedecius Prize honours translators of Polish and German-language literature. Its aim is to highlight the role of literary translation as a tool for dialogue, mutual understanding, and building relations between Poland and Germany. Since 2026, the prize has been awarded for translations of literary fiction from Polish into German and from German into Polish, published within the last two years.
The prize’s patron, Karl Dedecius, was one of the most important translators of Polish literature into German and one of the key figures in Polish-German dialogue. Thanks to his work, Polish literature reached readers beyond the country’s borders, gaining visibility within the European cultural landscape.
Villa Decius is also closely connected with Karl Dedecius’s vision. It was Dedecius who, in 1991, presented the idea of restoring the then-ruined Villa and creating there a “forum for humanists” — a space for encounters, conversation, and the exchange of ideas across the boundaries of languages, cultures, and traditions.
Today, this idea is continued by the Villa Decius Institute for Culture, a partner of the Karl Dedecius Prize. Through literary programmes, residencies, international activities, and projects supporting intercultural dialogue, Villa Decius remains a place where literature and translation are regarded not only as fields of art, but also as real tools of understanding.
Congratulations to both laureates!
The prize for the best translation from Polish into German has been awarded to Olaf Kühl for his translation of Szczepan Twardoch’s novel Die Nulllinie. Roman aus dem Krieg / Rowohlt Berlin 2025 / Null, Marginesy, Warsaw 2025.
The Karl Dedecius Prize honours translators of Polish and German-language literature. Its aim is to highlight the role of literary translation as a tool for dialogue, mutual understanding, and building relations between Poland and Germany. Since 2026, the prize has been awarded for translations of literary fiction from Polish into German and from German into Polish, published within the last two years.
The prize’s patron, Karl Dedecius, was one of the most important translators of Polish literature into German and one of the key figures in Polish-German dialogue. Thanks to his work, Polish literature reached readers beyond the country’s borders, gaining visibility within the European cultural landscape.
Villa Decius is also closely connected with Karl Dedecius’s vision. It was Dedecius who, in 1991, presented the idea of restoring the then-ruined Villa and creating there a “forum for humanists” — a space for encounters, conversation, and the exchange of ideas across the boundaries of languages, cultures, and traditions.
Today, this idea is continued by the Villa Decius Institute for Culture, a partner of the Karl Dedecius Prize. Through literary programmes, residencies, international activities, and projects supporting intercultural dialogue, Villa Decius remains a place where literature and translation are regarded not only as fields of art, but also as real tools of understanding.
Congratulations to both laureates!