1981 Adam-Müller-Guttenbrunn Sponsored Prize the Temeswar Literature Circle
1984 Aspekte Literature Prize
1985 Rauris Literature Prize
1985 Encouragement Prize of the Literature Award of Bremen
1987 Ricarda-Huch Prize of Darmstadt
1989 Marieluise-Fleißer Prize of Ingolstadt
1989 German Language Prize, together with Gerhardt Csejka, Helmuth Frauendorfer, Klaus Hensel, Johann Lippet, Werner Söllner, William Totok, Richard Wagner
1990 Roswitha Medal of Knowledge of Bad Gandersheim
1991 Kranichsteiner Literature Prize
1993 Critical Prize for Literature
1994 Kleist Prize
1995 Aristeion Prize
1995/96 City-writer of Frankfurt-Bergen-Enkheim
1997 Literature Prize of Graz
1998 Ida-Dehmel Literature Prize and the International IMPAC Dublin Literary Award for Herztier / The Land of Green Plums
2001 Cicero Speaker Prize
2002 Carl-Zuckmayer-Medaille of Rhineland-Palatinate
2003 Joseph-Breitbach Prize (together with Christoph Meckel and Harald Weinrich)
2004 Literature Prize of Konrad-Adenauer-Stiftung
2005 Berlin Literature Prize
2006 Würth Prize for European Literature und Walter-Hasenclever Literature Prize
