- Ten books in English translation by writers from seven countries where the Bank invests, chosen by independent jury
- Croatia, Czechia, Hungary, Moldova, Poland, Türkiye and Ukraine represented
- Finalists announced next month and winner on 24 June at public awards ceremony
The European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) is delighted to announce the short list for this year’s EBRD Literature Prize.
The selected works in alphabetical order (by author) are:
Sons, Daughters by Ivana Bodrožić, translated from the Croatian by Ellen Elias-Bursać and published by Seven Stories Press UK
The Ukraine by Artem Chapeye, translated from the Ukrainian by Zenia Tompkins and published by Seven Stories Press UK
Too Great a Sky by Liliana Corobca, translated from the Romanian by Monica Cure and published by Seven Stories Press UK
Engagement by Ҫiler İlhan, translated from the Turkish by Kenneth Dakan and published by Istros Books
My Women by Yuliia Iliukha, translated from the Ukrainian by Hanna Leliv and published by 128 LIT
Celebration by Damir Karakaš, translated from the Croatian by Ellen Elias-Bursać and published by Selkies House Limited
Herscht 07769 by László Krasznahorkai, translated from the Hungarian by Ottilie Mulzet and published by New Directions Publishing
Forgottenness by Tanja Maljartschuk, translated from the Ukrainian by Zenia Tompkins and published by Bullaun Press in Ireland and by Liveright, an imprint of W.W. Norton & Company, in the United States
Life After Kafka by Magdaléna Platzová, translated from the Czech by Alex Zucker and published by Bellevue Literary Press
The Empusium by Olga Tokarczuk, translated from the Polish by Antonia Lloyd-Jones and published by Fitzcarraldo Editions
The 10 books in English translation are by writers from seven of the countries where the EBRD invests – Croatia, Czechia, Hungary, Moldova, Poland, Türkiye and Ukraine. They were chosen by an independent panel of judges: writer, critic and cultural journalist Maya Jaggi (chair); writer and editor Selma Dabbagh; translator and Associate Professor in Ukrainian and East European Culture at University College London, Uilleam Blacker; and writer and foreign correspondent for BBC News, Fergal Keane.
Dr Jaggi said: “I am struck by how the sometimes-troubled regions the prize covers – including countries in fraught transition and even open conflict – are producing some of the most exciting, innovative and boundary-pushing fiction anywhere in the world. Women’s voices emerged strongly. Our short list ranges from haunting poetic vignettes of ‘flash fiction’ written in present-day Ukraine, to gothic fairytale horrors, blood feuds and a propulsive, 400-page novel in a single sentence tracing the rise of the far right in the heart of Europe. That many of the stories are partially based on real people or events reveals how writers are grappling with the role and responsibilities of fiction in a ‘post-truth’ age.”
Including North American as well as UK/European publishers has also yielded a more comprehensive selection of English-language translations from the prize's regions. Three finalists will be announced in late April. The winning author and translator will be revealed on 24 June at a public awards ceremony and reception at the EBRD’s headquarters in London, attended by the judges and the finalist authors, translators and publishers. Prize money of €20,000 will be divided equally between the winning author and translator. The authors and translators of the other two finalist works will each receive €2,000. More information about the EBRD Literature Prize can be found here.