Fassbinder: Thousands of Mirrors by Ian Penman (Semiotex(t)e) has won the £10,000 (about $12,660) 2024 Royal Society of Literature Ondaatje Prize, given to "a distinguished work of fiction, non-fiction or poetry evoking the spirit of a place."
Chair of judges Xiaolu Guo said, "This is the only book I have read twice this year. Truly it is thousands of mirrors in terms of the thoughts, images and references running through this reflective and wonderfully interior work. The world of European cinema, especially Fassbinder's film seen through Ian Penman's eyes, has transported me to a tantalizing place called post-war Europe. The book brings me back to my youth and my film school years in the east and west, and it reminds me of how powerful images have shaped our very understanding of love and life."