Kaleb Erdmann

On the last day of the 2002 final exams, shots are fired at the Gutenberg Gymnasium in Erfurt. Kaleb Erdmann, then eleven years old, lives through this day, is evacuated with his classmates and, in the weeks that follow, witnesses the helplessness of the adults in the face of the atrocity. More than 20 years later, he revisits the shooting for a literary project. »Die Ausweichschule« was nominated for the 2025 German Book Prize and won the Deutschlandfunk Kultur sponsorship award. The novel is a skilful play with perspectives. Kaleb Erdmann takes a critical approach to his audience and himself as a narrator: how voyeuristic is our interest in acts of violence? What gives him the right to write about that day? A pointed, personal text that finds words for the unspeakable and masterfully balances seriousness and lightness.

Kaleb Erdmann (*1991) was a finalist in the open mike competition and has worked as a writer and editor for various television and entertainment programmes, such as »Till Reiners’ Happy Hour«. His first novel, »wir sind pioniere«, was awarded the LitCologne Debut Prize. Erdmann wrote the play »Always Carrey On« for the Berliner Ensemble about the actor Jim Carrey and most recently won the 2026 Kleist Prize for New Drama for his play »Debritz«. The author and playwright lives and works in Düsseldorf.

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What the press says:

»Kaleb Erdmann has succeeded in writing a very intense and oppressive book.«
Kreuzer

»Whenever a truth or insight emerges, Erdmann’s narrative voice relativises what has just been recognised. Thus, ›Die Ausweichschule‹ becomes an effective textual approach to the inexplicable.«
NZZ

»With ›Die Ausweichschule‹, Kaleb Erdmann has created a novel that is both heavy and light.«
BR

»This fascinating novel tells the story of a writer’s ultimately failed project, which has opened the windows to his hell.«
FAZ

»His approach to the overwhelming gravity of this subject matter remains extremely sensitive and, thanks to his dry and accessible style, even surprisingly funny – a remarkable balancing act.«
funky.de

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