The twelve winners of the 2017 European Union Prize for Literature are:
Rudi Erebara (Albania), Ina Vultchanova (Bulgaria), Bianca Bellová (the Czech Republic), Kallia Papadaki (Greece), Halldóra K. Thoroddsen (Iceland), Osvalds Zebris (Latvia), Walid Nabhan (Malta), Aleksandar Bečanović (Montenegro), Jamal Ouariachi (the Netherlands), Darko Tuševljaković (Serbia), Sine Ergün (Turkey) and Sunjeev Sahota (the United Kingdom).
The European Union Prize for Literature (EUPL) is an award which recognises outstanding new and emerging literary talents across Europe, and highlights the wealth of contemporary European literature, while drawing attention to the continent’s unique cultural and linguistic heritage.
Every year, expert national juries are set up in one third of the participating countries and appointed to nominate the winning authors according to specific criteria and following a selection procedure. Once selected, each of the twelve winning authors not only receives a cash prize of € 5 000, but more importantly, benefits from increased international visibility and cross-border promotion, starting at the Awards Ceremony in Brussels and continuing at Europe’s major book fairs.
“The EUPL highlights the invincible nature of literary creativity. Each winner gives us, readers, insights and worlds to explore. Their works impel our imagination to grow and our minds to evolve. Europe needs these new talents. They offer a feast of languages, people, and stories, from words to worlds, through translations. The EWC is very proud to be part of the celebration of these new European writers”, reveals Malin Koch, President of the European Writers’ Council.
FEP President Henrique Mota states: “For 9 years, FEP and our partners EIBF and EWC, have been working hard to organize and promote European emerging talents in literature. I am very proud that this year again, we have been able to select 12 outstanding writers across our continent. I hope their books will meet many new audiences in Europe and beyond, and that thanks to European literature, we bring citizens closer to each other through better understanding.”
Jean-Luc Treutenaere, Co-President of EIBF, adds: “I am very happy, once again, to see that 12 emerging talents will be celebrated at the EUPL Ceremony. Many congratulations to them! Of course as a bookseller, I am looking forward to seeing their books in bookshops all over Europe, in original version and in translation. The EUPL has been increasingly successful over the years, thanks to the commitment of our three associations and the support of the European Commission. We must build upon this fantastic adventure.”
More information here.