Darmstadt, Germany- Author Martin Mosebach was named Thursday as winner of this year's Georg Buechner Prize, Germany's most prestigious literary award. Born in 1951, Mosebach has published novels, stories, and collections of poems, written scripts for several films, opera libretti, theatre and radio plays.
The German Academy for Language and Literature praised him for "combining stylistic splendour with original storytelling that demonstrates a humourous awareness of history."
Among his works translated into English is The Heresy of Formlessness, a collection of essays on the liturgy and its recent reform told from the perspective of a literary writer.
The book argues for a return to the Tridentine rite of the Mass, which was in use prior to Pope Paul VI's promulgation of the new order of the Mass in 1969.
Other works include The Turkish Woman, The Tremor, The Long Night and Prince of Mist, in which the author examines the motives behind man's eternal search for a meaning.
The prize, named after 19th century author Georg Buechner, is worth 40,000 euros (53,600 dollars). It will be presented to Mosebach on October 27.
