Bernhard Schlink

Awards & Honours

Awards Won

Honours

Records

Bernhard Schlink's literary achievements have earned him international acclaim. He is one of the few German authors whose work has crossed borders so effectively, with The Reader becoming a global phenomenon. The novel's adaptation into an Oscar-winning film brought his story to millions, and his exploration of guilt and memory continues to resonate with readers worldwide.His awards, including the Park Kyong-ni Prize, recognize not only his craft but also his ability to engage with history and morality in ways that feel both personal and universal. Schlink's legacy is secured by his profound impact on contemporary literature.

AwardsBernhard Schlink has won several prestigious literary awards. He received the Friedrich Glauser Prize in 1989 for his crime novel Die gordische Schleife and the German Crime Fiction Award in 1993 for Selbs Betrug. In 2014, he was honored with the Park Kyong-ni Prize, an international award recognizing his significant impact on world literature.

Honours & Distinctions

Officer's Cross of the Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany

Federal Republic of Germany

Awarded for outstanding contributions to literature and law.

Records & Feats

First German author to have a novel translated into over fifty languages

Literary Achievement·1995

The Reader has been translated into more than fifty languages, a rare feat for a German-language novel.