Son Lewandowski
Germany
Son Lewandowski, born in Cologne in 1988, is an author, curator and cultural studies scholar. She works at the intersection of literature, performance and feminist practice, including as co-founder of the Insert Female Artist festival.
In her debut novel Die Routinen, Lewandowski dissects the harsh world of elite female gymnasts. Using the gymnast Amik as an example, she describes the destructive structures of elite sport, weaving in the stories of Nadia Comăneci and Simone Biles, as well as the Magglingen Protocols on the abuses in Swiss artistic gymnastics. With analytical sharpness, the author explores sport and politics, and tells of iron discipline and fragile relationships, and of the limits of the body.
Critics praise Lewandowski as a keen observer: “Die Routinen is a magnificent novel not least because it raises questions that go far beyond the documentary,” writes the NZZ. Particularly effective is the way the author uses drill and repetition as a stylistic device. For the FAZ, too, Lewandowski performs at the highest literary level: “The power of her words conveys such a vivid impression that one is almost surprised the author herself has never competed in the Olympic Games.”
Die Routinen. Novel. Klett-Cotta 2026
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