Wiesbaden Crime Writing Scholarship
The crime fiction scholarship of the state capital Wiesbaden goes to Sven Stricker in 2026. In March 2026, the author, screenwriter and radio play director will live in Wiesbaden for four weeks and write a short crime novel inspired by his stay. The scholarship is being awarded for the 15th time and is endowed with 4,000 euros.
Head of Cultural Affairs Dr. Hendrik SchmehlWith Sven Stricker, we are honoring a writer who gives new impetus to the German-language crime novel because he is able to combine comedy and tragedy like no other author. With courage, wit and quick-wittedness, his characters stumble over the abysses that open up in the rainy North Frisian landscapes. He gives his readers a critical and deep insight into the social conditions of our time. Sven Stricker is also a gifted reader of his texts.
The director of the Villa Clementine House of Literature, Susanne Lewalter, who is also responsible for the program of the parallel Wiesbadener Krimimärz, is also looking forward to the collaboration. According to Susanne Lewalter, Sven Stricker's crime novels do not focus on crime, but on people and the psychological and ethical challenges they face.
His characters are multi-layered, such as his main character, Inspector Sörensen, whose everyday battle against his anxiety disorder is portrayed by Stricker with sensitivity and humor. The North Frisian setting lends his stories authentic local color. In the end, despite all the crime, there is always an underlying tone of confidence.
About Sven Stricker
Sven Stricker was born in 1970 in Tönning, North Frisia, and lives in Potsdam. Since studying comparative literature, English and history, he has worked as a director for radio plays and audio books. He has also been working as an author since 2013 and made his breakthrough as a crime writer in 2020 with his series about detective chief inspector Sörensen. The books "Sörensen hat Angst" (2020) and "Sörensen fängt Feuer" (2023) were made into films for Norddeutscher Rundfunk.
Sven Stricker has received numerous awards for his work, including the German Audio Book Prize several times, including in 2006 for the audio book "Lauf Junge Lauf" by Uri Orlev and in 2009 for the radio play "Herr Lehmann". In 2021, he was awarded a Romy for the screenplay for "Sörensen hat Angst" and won the Grimme Prize for the same screenplay the following year.