Year in books: 2013's major literary prize winners

If you've had your nose in a book all year, DW brings you up to speed with 13 of 2013's major literary moments. Canadian Alice Munro was awarded the Nobel Prize on October 10. The Academy dubbed Munro, 82, a "master of the contemporary short story." Her work often focuses on the frailties of the human condition. Her most recent collection, "Dear Life," was released in 2012.

This year, the prestigious United States literature accolade went to San Francisco-based Adam Johnston for his book, "The Orphan Master's Son." The novel tells the story of a young man’s journey through North Korea and was described by the judges as "exquisitely crafted." The Pulitzer Prizes, which also include categories in journalism and poetry, are announced in April of each year.

This year's winner of the Man Booker Prize, for the best work of fiction in the Commonwealth and Ireland, is also the youngest in the award's history. New Zealander Eleanor Catton, 28, won for her novel "The Luminaries," which was set in her homeland's rugged West Coast during the 19th-century gold rush. Next year, American writers will be able to vye for the prestigious "Booker."

Germany’s answer to the Man Booker Prize, the German Book Prize for the year’s best novel written in German, is presented on the eve of the annual Frankfurt Book Fair. This year the honor went to Hungarian-born Terezia Mora for "Das Ungeheuer," which translates to "The Monster." The judges described the novel, about a man on a journey to bury his wife, as "deeply moving."

Investigative journalist turned writer of prose Svetlana Alexievich was awarded the Peace Prize at the end of the Frankfurt Book Fair. The award, handed out annually since 1950, has a history of honoring courageous and controversial writers. Alexievich tackles Russia's modern history, chronicling the personal stories and feelings of ordinary people. "They are grains of sand in history," she says.

Sibylle Lewitscharoff was presented with the Georg Büchner Prize, Germany's most prestigious literary accolade, in October. Her popularity grew in 1998 with critical acclaim for her novel "Pong." As much as the award is an honor for authors who write in German, Lewitscharoff says she cannot relate to its namesake Büchner, a playwright who died aged 23 in 1837.

The Kleist Prize is known for its long history after being founded in 1911 to mark 100 years since the death of renowned author Heinrich von Kleist. It's become a prize for German writers who are progressive thinkers, much like Kleist himself. This year it was awarded to Berlin-based author Katja Lange-Müller, whose successful works include "Böse Schafe" ("Angry Sheep").

In contrast to the Man Booker Prize for fiction, which focuses on a single novel, the Man Booker International Prize singles out one writer's whole body of work. It is for works published originally in English or widely available in an English translation. This year's winner is Lydia Davis, an American writer of extremely short stories.

The Man Asian Literary Prize - for works by Asian writers that are available in English - aims to bring more exposure to literature coming from Asia. It's become one of the region's top awards. Malaysian lawyer Tan Twan Eng won this year with his novel "The Garden of Evening Mists." Set in the highlands of Malaysia, it deals with the aftermath of Japanese wartime occupation.

The Caine Prize is one of Africa's leading literary awards, highlighting short stories by African writers, published in English. This year's prize was won by Nigerian-American Tope Folarin for his story "Miracle." Set in an evangelical Nigerian church in Texas, it explores faith, doubt and deceit. Award judge Gus Casely-Hayford called it "exquisitely observed and utterly compelling."

A jury of nine international authors chose Mia Couto from Mozambique to win this prestigious biennial award, one of the few international prizes covering poets, novelists and playwrights alike. Announced in November during the Neustadt Festival, the prize recognizes Couto's whole body of work. The master of prose in Portuguese has had works published in more than 20 languages.

One of the Arab world's most prestigious and important literary awards, this year's prize went to "The Bamboo Stalk" by Saud Alsanousi, a Kuwaiti novelist and journalist. The novel examines the phenomenon of foreign workers in Gulf countries and this award guarantees it will be translated into English. The prize aims to boost recognition of contemporary Arabic literature.

The world's foremost prize for children's books is given every two years to an author and illustrator whose work has made a lasting contribution to young people's literature. The latest winners, announced in 2012, were writer Maria Teresa Andruetto and illustrator Peter Sis. For the next awards, to be announced in March 2014, 29 authors and 31 illustrators have been nominated from 34 countries.