Top German book prize to Italy's Claudio Magris

Top German book prize to Italy's Claudio MagrisFrankfurt - Italian essayist Claudio Magris, 70, was picked Thursday as winner of one of Europe's most prestigious annual culture prizes, the 25,000-euro (34,750-dollar) German Book Trade Peace Prize.

Magris, a retired professor of German, has written fiction and a stream of books about 20th-century history, has translated many German authors into Italian and writes newspaper and magazine articles.

He is often seen as an Italian front-runner to win the Nobel Literature Prize.

Announcing the award in Berlin, a book trade spokeswoman said Magris was not available for immediate comment because he was on holiday on an island and did not have a mobile phone with him.

Many of his books have been about the old Austro-Hungarian empire, of which his hometown, Trieste, was once a part. One book, Danubio, examines the Danube valley from its source to its mouth.

The judges said Magris' writings had focussed on the problems that arise from different cultures and ethnic groups living together, their peculiarities and the frictions between them.

"He has a unique literary style combining stories, reflection, fact and fiction," the citation said. Magris showed that difference could be a creative force provided it was respected.

The prize, which was introduced in 1950, usually goes to writers or scholars whose work improves understanding between rival nations and ethnic groups. Unusually, it was given last year to an artist, Anselm Kiefer.

Administered by the Boersenverein, the German association of publishers and booksellers, the prize is to be handed over at an October 18 ceremony, to be attended by German leaders, at the close of the Frankfurt Book Fair. (dpa)