September 2026 Book Recommendations: Top German-Language Fiction
Kulturnews has unveiled its top book selections for September 2026, showcasing six remarkable novels in German and translations. At the forefront is 'Gulistan' by Karosh Taha, which has made the longlist for the German Book Prize 2026; it tells the story of a Kurdish woman in Iraq whose husband goes missing. Additional noteworthy titles include 'Glaszeit', the debut work by Leh-Wei Liao, 'Frankie und Freddie' by Sven Regener, 'Ochsenkopf' by Manik Sarkar, 'Goodbye, Honeysuckle' by Tayari Jones, and 'Kanzlerkino' by Mirko Bonné. The piece, written by Carsten Schrader, also highlights the upcoming Frankfurt Book Fair and features links to related materials, including a podcast with Thị Thanh Thảo Trần and a reading by Tash Aw.
Key facts
- Karosh Taha's 'Gulistan' tops the list and is on the longlist for the German Book Prize 2026.
- Leh-Wei Liao's debut 'Glaszeit' is also on the longlist for the German Book Prize.
- Sven Regener's 'Frankie und Freddie' is set on December 23, 1980, in Berlin.
- Manik Sarkar's 'Ochsenkopf' is a debut novel set in a 1960s Dutch village.
- Tayari Jones's 'Goodbye, Honeysuckle' is endorsed by Oprah Winfrey and Barack Obama.
- Mirko Bonné's 'Kanzlerkino' fictionalizes the government move from Bonn to Berlin.
- The list includes books from publishers Schöffling, Arche, Galiani Berlin, Zsolnay, Luchterhand, and Dumont.
- The article is published by kulturnews.de and written by Carsten Schrader.
Entities
Artists
- Karosh Taha
- Leh-Wei Liao
- Sven Regener
- Manik Sarkar
- Tayari Jones
- Mirko Bonné
- Saddam Hussein
- Ala Bashir
- Helmut Kohl
- Oprah Winfrey
- Barack Obama
- Frederick Lau
- Christian Ulmen
- Thị Thanh Thảo Trần
- Tash Aw
- Carsten Schrader
- Judith Gridl
- Klaus Rathje
- Eva Pramschüfer
Institutions
- Kulturnews
- German Book Prize
- Frankfurt Book Fair
- Schöffling
- Arche
- Galiani Berlin
- Zsolnay
- Luchterhand
- Dumont
- Spelman College
Locations
- Frankfurt
- Germany
- Berlin
- Bonn
- New York
- Taipei
- Taiwan
- Louisiana
- Memphis
- Atlanta
- Netherlands