The most beautiful first sentence

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The most beautiful first sentence was a competition organized by the German Language Initiative and the Reading Foundation in 2007 . We were looking for the most beautiful first sentence in German-language literature. The winners of the competition were chosen on November 6, 2007 in the Alte Oper in Frankfurt am Main . The main prize was won by the beginning of the novel Der Flounder by Günter Grass : "Ilsebill added salt."

competition

All novels and short stories as well as children's and youth literature written in German were eligible for the competition. Particular emphasis was placed on the justification of this competition. The participants had to explain what expectations the first movement they chose aroused and what mood it created. It was also asked whether the story kept what the first sentence promised.

The introduction to the competition said:

“The first sentence is important. In love as well as in literature.
A good first sentence often decides whether we fall in love with a person or a book, whether we are touched and, full of curiosity, accept the promise of a good story. "

- Press release: "The most beautiful first sentence"

winner

Over 17,000 readers from Germany and 60 other countries took part in the competition. For the winning entry "Ilsebill salted up." It says:

“Can three words arouse so much desire to read on that the following 700 pages are devoured with pleasure? The literature lover Lukas Mayrhofer from Vienna was able to convince the jury. The jury was impressed by his passionate plea to choose the beginning of Günter Grass' 'Der Butt' as the most beautiful first movement. "

- Three words as a prelude to a world history.

Mayrhofer's reasoning begins as follows:

“A sentence with only three words? In German? And suspense?
Not an easy task. But Günter Grass mastered it in my eyes and personally gave me not only one of my favorite books with the Flounder, but also a brilliant first sentence.
Ilsebill ... strange name. I have never run into a real Ilsebill in my life so far, but there is this fairy tale about the fisherman and his wife , that Ilsebill. 'Myne Fru, de Ilsebill, don't want to, as ik wol will.' "

- Lukas Mayrhofer

And ends with the following words:

“Will there be war? Or just a satisfied burp at the end?
I know and I am eternally grateful to Mr. Grass.
For a first sentence that subsequently builds up a world history - peppered with history and fiction, great female characters, irony en masse and lots and lots of food. Enjoy the meal."

- Lukas Mayrhofer

Adult literature

The beginning of Günter Grass ' novel Der Butt was chosen as the most beautiful first sentence in German-language literature :

"Ilsebill added salt."

Second place went to Franz Kafka's entry into the story The Metamorphosis :

"When Gregor Samsa woke up from restless dreams one morning, he found himself transformed into a monstrous vermin in his bed."

The third prize went to the story Der Leseteufel , the first "Masurian story" from Suleyken was so tender by Siegfried Lenz :

"Hamilkar Schaß, my grandfather, a master of, say, seventy-one, had just taught himself to read when things started."

Children's and young people's literature

The beginning of Janosch's story "Lari Fari Mogelzahn" was chosen as the most beautiful first sentence :

"In Mottengasse eleven, upstairs under the roof behind the seventh beam in the house where the old railway signal master, Mr. Gleisenagel lives, there is a very mysterious box."

The opening movement from Cornelia Funke's " Inkheart " took second place :

"Rain fell that night, a fine, whispering rain."

Third place was given to Ildikó von Kürthys at the beginning of the novel " Blue Miracles ":

"I'm either worried or something to eat."

Student competition

The beginning of Paul Maar's children's book " New Points for Sams " won the school competition:

"It was midnight and Mr. Taschenbier was sitting on the roof of Mrs. Rotkohl's house."

Second place went to the first sentence from Wolfgang and Heike Hohlbein's “ War of the Angels ”.

"The angel was on fire."

Third place went to the beginning of Klaus Mann's “ The Turning Point ”.

Special Price

Marina Demen'kowa from Russia won a special prize for the most beautiful submission from abroad with Peter Härtling's " Hirbel ":

"The Hirbel is the worst of them all, said the children in the home."

jury

The members of the jury were:

literature

later edition:
Initiative German Language, Foundation Reading: The day started pretty shitty, namely too early . Declarations of love to the most beautiful German sentences. Herder , Freiburg im Breisgau / Basel / Vienna 2009, ISBN 978-3-451-06057-1 (= Herder spectrum, volume 6057).

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ a b Press release: “The most beautiful first sentence” - a competition organized by the German Language Initiative and the Reading Foundation ( Memento from July 7, 2007 in the Internet Archive ), accessed on April 14, 2015
  2. ↑ Three words as a prelude to a world history ( Memento of December 6, 2007 in the Internet Archive ), accessed on April 14, 2015