Uwe Timm Receives Goethe Prize, Warns of AfD Rise in Germany

On August 28, the anniversary of Goethe's birth, German writer Uwe Timm was awarded the prestigious Goethe Prize, which is conferred every three years and has previously honored figures such as Sigmund Freud, Thomas Mann, Albert Einstein, Ingmar Bergman, and Max Planck. In his acceptance speech, Timm delivered a brief but politically and civically charged address, drawing on Goethe's lesser-known work "Campaign in France" to trace the historical conflict between two opposing visions of German history and democracy: one authoritarian, nationalist, and chauvinistic; the other democratic, equitable, and inclusive. He connected this historical dichotomy to the present, noting the upcoming elections in the Sachsen-Anhalt region, where for the first time the far-right AfD party could become a governing force. The speech was published by the Italian cultural magazine doppiozero, which introduced it with the title "Germania: Sappiamo bene cosa accadde" (Germany: We Know Well What Happened). Timm's remarks come at a critical moment for German democracy, as the AfD's potential rise in a state election signals a worrying shift in the political landscape. The Goethe Prize, one of Germany's most prestigious cultural awards, has historically recognized outstanding contributions to literature and thought, and Timm's selection underscores his significance as a contemporary German author. His speech serves as a reminder of the lessons of history and the fragility of democratic institutions.