Ladies and gentlemen,
this is a highlight of the cultural calendar for Mainz, the state capital—and so I am delighted to welcome you:

• Distinguished award recipient Mr. Sven Regener – with his wife Charlotte Goltermann
• Dr. Bilke, (ZDF Program Director)
• Dr. Becker,
• the jury of the Mainz City Writer’s Literary Prize
• Colleagues from the City Executive Board, members of the Mainz City Council and the Culture Committee,
• Mr. Malchow, the laudator,
• and all of you, ladies and gentlemen, distinguished guests, and audience,

a warm welcome—here at the beautiful LEIZA. Thank you very much, Professor Busch, for allowing us to be your guests again today. I am delighted to join you in inducting Sven Regener as the 41st recipient of the Mainz City Writer Literary Prize.

The office of the Mainz City Writer has a long tradition: in 1985, the prize was awarded for the first time by ZDF, 3sat, and the state capital of Mainz. Since then, we have been able to attract many renowned authors to our city and to this office. They have all shaped and enriched it in a very personal way—to name just a few from the recent past: Dörte Hansen, Alois Hotschnig, Julia Schoch, and Annett Gröschner.

Her term ends today, and I’d like to take this opportunity to thank her on behalf of the citizens—and I wholeheartedly recommend: Annett Gröschner’s film “Three East German women wander through the country and test the gravity of the circumstances.”

The film is a gift to mark the end of her year as City Writer here in Mainz and is available in the 3sat and ZDF media library. Today marks the start of the new City Writer year—for the renowned author Sven Regener. An unmistakable voice in contemporary literature. I’m sure you all know the award winner.

And if you don’t know Mr. Regener himself, then you know Mr. Lehmann—the protagonist who takes us into his Berlin with his very peculiar blend of skepticism, lethargy, and subtle humor. A Berlin that is very small, mainly confined to the pub, the bar, the conversations. Wonderful conversations, often with few words, but all the more profound for it.

And should you not know Mr. Lehmann—which I can hardly imagine—then you surely know the art of Sven Regener: the lyrics, the songs, his musical signature, with which he has been delighting us for decades as the singer, lyricist, and trumpeter of the band Element of Crime—songs like “Weißes Papier,” “Delmenhorst,” and “Draußen hinterm Fenster.”

With Sven Regener, we welcome to our city an outstanding artist who knows how to blend language, music, and the spirit of the times in a truly unique way. It is a great honor and pleasure to have you here with us, dear Mr. Regener. The people of Mainz are very curious about you—about your readings and also about the concert as part of “Summer in the City.”

But we are also eager to hear your perspective on our city: your encounters, your observations, and even the subtle nuances of everyday life that you so masterfully capture. Mainz offers many stories—and we are certain that you will bring some of them to life anew. In words or in music—we’ll see…

I thank the jury for bringing Sven Regener to Mainz. A wonderful decision. And I am certain, dear Mr. Regener, that Mainz is exactly the right city for you as well.

What makes our City Writer Literature Prize special is that, dear Mr. Regener, in addition to the honor and the cash prize, you will also be able to reside in our City Writer’s Apartment for a year. It is located right on Domplatz, in the very heart of Mainz. We hope you will spend a lot of time here and feel very much at home.

But I have no doubt about that. In an interview, you said: “I love chatter. I love people who just blurt out the nonsense that’s swirling through their heads.” You’ve come to the right place. The people of Mainz wear their hearts on their sleeves. They are hospitable and curious, humorous and sociable.

When you sing in your song “Wait for me. It’s too dark out there for one person alone”—then I’d like to reply: Not in Mainz. In Mainz, the lights are (it feels like) always on in the wonderful wine taverns, and you can sit down at any table, listen in, and join the conversation. But be warned: A nice glass of wine in the Old Town could quickly turn into a long evening.

Dear Mr. Regener, I warmly welcome you as Mainz City Chronicler and will later ceremoniously present you with a certificate handmade in our Gutenberg Museum—together with our master printer.
I wish you an insightful, productive, and inspiring time. Welcome to Mainz!