National Literary Competition: Jhemp Hoscheit back on top
The author Jhemp Hoscheit, this year's clear favourite, was selected by the jury as the winner of the 2025 National Literary Competition for his novel "Den Impakt vu Klappentexter", a book which deals with the themes of loss and death.
At the 47th edition of Luxembourg's most prestigious literary prize, Jhemp Hoscheit pipped Cathy Clement ("Neel mat Käpp") and Guy Helminger ("Die Elefantenhaut") in the adult authors category. "Den Impakt vu Klappentexter" tells the tale of a retired librarian whose wife died in a hit-and-run accident six years ago. The bereaved widower reflects on his life, work and grief, sharing his thoughts with his late wife, whom he visits regularly at the cemetery. Every now and then, he finds flowers left on the grave by an unknown visitor," explains the author.
Jhemp Hoscheit has received several prizes over the course of his literary career, reflecting the esteem in which his work is held in Luxembourg. He has been recognised on several occasions by the National Literary Competition, winning first prize in 2001, and various of his works have also been awarded the Lëtzebuerger Buchpräis. His novel Perl oder Pica earned him the prestigious Servais Prize in 1999. The novel was made into a film in 2005, with Jhemp's son Ben Hoscheit in the leading role.
Interview with Jhemp Hoscheit
Congratulations on this latest victory! What does it mean to you to win the National Literary Competition again?
Winning the National Literary Competition is above all a sign of recognition. The prize is an acknowledgement of my literary work. I enjoy taking part in competitions in all literary genres. Each time it's a real challenge. The competition has been going since 1978; I have taken part twenty times and received an award or a special mention on thirteen occasions. It is also a game, a test to see how I stand up against other authors. Participants send their typescripts to the jury under a pseudonym, and if the jury members appreciate my work then I feel that the award is well deserved. And that encourages me to keep on writing and publishing. But my true reward comes from the readers who read my books.
Your novel is called "Den Impakt vu Klappentexter". What gave you the idea to write a novel based around the back-cover blurb on books? What would you like readers to take away from your novel?
Jim Ellers, the grieving widow who loves reading, steers clear of novels that deal with grief, illness, sorrow and death. So he has to carefully peruse the back-cover blurb on any novels he is thinking of reading. He falls in love with a woman, develops a new appetite for life and starts looking for novels about second love. My book is an ode to literature and the power of memory – a celebration of the pleasure of reading. Sometimes something very small – a book, a flower, a buried secret – can be all it takes to get life back on track.
You are one of Luxembourg's best-known authors today. How would you describe your literary development since your early days as a writer?
My first novel, "Perl oder Pica" (Editions Schortgen, Servais Prize in 1999), was published in 1998. It is an autobiographical novel in which I describe the many experiences and adventures of a 12-year-old boy from Esch-sur-Alzette in 1962-63. In 2005, the Luxembourgish film director Pol Cruchten (1963-2019) adapted the book for the screen. Since that novel, my characters have grown increasingly distant from me. My literary self has moved further away, becoming more varied and taking on different identities – I invent characters and give them diverse lives. That's the fascinating, mysterious alchemy between fiction and reality.
What does Luxembourgish represent for you as a literary language?
All but two of my thirty publications (children's books, novels and satirical essays) are written in Luxembourgish. The Luxembourgish language is my second skin, the language I breathe in. My literary language is like breathing – it's where I feel at home. I am comfortable with it, and it allows me to delve into my imagination. The Minett region, with its characteristic red-earth landscapes, nourishes my soul and inspires me. In my writing, I dive into this world and draw on the past, while remaining rooted in the present and looking ahead to the future. I can only do that if I write in Luxembourgish.
Jhemp Hoscheit: life at a glance
Jhemp Hoscheit, born in Esch-sur-Alzette in 1951, studied French literature in Luxembourg and Strasbourg after attending the Lycée de garçons in Esch-sur-Alzette. He began his career as a teacher in 1975, first in Pétange and then in Esch, eventually reducing his hours to part time so that he could concentrate on his writing. He is a versatile author, publishing novels, poetry, essays, plays, cabaret texts and children's books.
His novel "Perl oder Pica", published in 1998 and inspired by his childhood in Esch, was the first of a trilogy set in the 1960s. He also explores the fantasy genre in his books "Mondelia" and "Klangfaarwen". "Tëschent den Zeilen", published in 2022, addresses the 2020 lockdown. In "Ouninumm" (2024), he looks at the trauma of abuse through the story of a teenage girl. Jhemp Hoscheit is very active in Luxembourg's cabaret scene and is involved with J(h)emp2 and Cabarenert. He is passionate about children's literature and has written several stories, plays and books with an educational dimension. He has won several prizes and continues to be an important figure in literary circles and in the voluntary and community sector in Luxembourg.
National Literary Competition: a long-standing award and a springboard for authors
The Ministry of Culture launched the annual National Literary Competition in 1978 to encourage literary creation in Luxembourg. Over more than four decades, some 155 authors have received awards, with many going on to enjoy national and international recognition. Each year, the competition focuses on a different literary genre.
The works submitted to the competition must be original and may not be published in any form before the official results are announced. The first prize in the "adult authors" category is €7,500, together with a contribution of up to €5,000 towards publication costs on submission of a proposal by a recognised publisher. The author retains all rights to the publication.
Following the 2025 competition, which focused on novels, the genre of the 2026 edition will be poetry collections.
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