Iraqi Writer Abbas Khadir Wins 2025 Berlin Literature Prize

 

 
Baghdad –INA
Iraqi writer Abbas Khadir has been awarded the 2025 Berlin Literature Prize in recognition of his literary achievements, the prize committee announced.
 
“Khadir offers a unique perspective on Germany through the lens of a writer shaped by global experiences,” the jury said in a statement received by the Iraqi News Agency (INA),“His novels explore themes of imprisonment, escape, asylum, and the challenges of adapting to a new homeland.”

 

The statement noted that since his first novel, The Fake Person (2008), Khadir has depicted individuals growing up in non-democratic societies under state oppression.
 “His work marks a significant shift in contemporary German literature, where so-called ‘migration literature’ is no longer peripheral but an integral part of modern literary discourse,” the committee said.
 
His latest novel, The Memory Forger (2022), reflects a world where many live as migrants, highlighting broader social transformations.
 
Born in Baghdad in 1973, Khadir has lived in Germany since 2000 and has received several prestigious awards, including the Nelly Sachs Prize (2013) and the Hilda Domin Prize for Exile Literature. His notable works include The Village Indian (2008), The President’s Oranges (2011), and A Letter to the Republic of Eggplant (2013).