Twelve European emerging authors receive the European Union Prize for Literature.
President Barroso said on this occasion :
“This prize celebrates the full diversity of Europe's literature and it will help to get authors and their works ''breaking'' borders. It awards emerging writers and this year Henning Mankell – whose best-selling work crosses borders and media – acted as the patron of this prize. This prize should help to get authors' works into the hands and hearts of people all over the world, for example through translation, but it also contributes to changing attitudes, to raising awareness of and openness to literature from abroad.
The free movement of ideas across borders has always been a strength of our continent and this new Prize reinforces that.
European integration is not just a political construct. It is a collective, a culture - of institutions, ideas, hopes, customs, languages, memories and projects for the future – which draw Europeans together, and which provide the foundations on which to build the shared European project.''
The aim of the prize
The Prize consists of an award to an emerging talent from each of the participating countries in 2009, 2010 and 2011 respectively. The 12 countries selected for the 2009 Awards were: Austria, Croatia, France, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Lithuania, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Slovakia and Sweden. In 2010 Belgium, Cyprus, Denmark, Estonia, Germany, Finland, Luxembourg, F.Y.R.O. Macedonia, Romania, Slovenia and Spain will participate, followed by Bulgaria, Czech Republic, Greece, Iceland, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Malta, Serbia, The Netherlands, Turkey and United Kingdom in 2011.
The European Union Prize for Literature is co-financed by the Culture Programme and by the selected consortium composed of the European Booksellers Federation (EBF), the European Writers' Council (EWC) and the Federation of European Publishers (FEP).
The consortium asked national bodies to establish a jury for the selection of this prize within their country.
The jury in each country followed a model that adapted to the national context.
The European Writers’ Council, in close cooperation with EBF and FEP, was responsible for coordinating the jury organisation and selection procedure in each country. Jury members were appointed by national members of EBF, EWC and FEP. Each national body received a set of guidelines for jury composition. The juries were chaired by a president who was in charge of delivering a report to the EBF/EWC/FEP consortium. National juries were comprised of 3-5 members.
The jury report was delivered in the national language, and in English or French, justifying the jury’s choice and providing relevant information on the winner and his/her work.
The selection criteria
The emerging talents were selected on the basis of requirements set out by the European Commission:
- Authors are a citizen of one of the 12 countries selected;
- Authors have published between 2 and 5 works of fiction;
- The books should have been published during the five years before the prize.
The EU Culture Programme
The Culture Programme stimulates transnational cultural cooperation projects involving operators from a minimum of three different countries participating in the Programme and supports Europe-wide organisations working in the field of culture. It also provides specific support for the translation of literary works and is open to all cultural sectors except audiovisual for which a separate programme exists. In addition to this prize, EU awards in the fields of architecture, cultural heritage and pop music are also co-funded through the Programme.
This years' award winners are:
| AUSTRIA Winning author: Mr Paulus Hochgatterer Book awarded: Die Sü be des Lebens (2006) – in English: the Sweetness of Life Publishing house: Paul Zsolnay Verlag, Wien |
CROATIA Winning author: Mrs Mila Pavicevic Book awarded: Djevojčica od leda i druge bajke (2006) – in English: Ice Girl and Other Fairy-tales Publishing house: Naklada Bošković, Split. |
| FRANCE Winning author: Mrs Emmanuelle Pagano Book awarded: Les Adolescents troglodytes (2007) Publishing house: Editions P.O.L, Paris |
HUNGARY Winning author: MrsSzécsi Noémi Book awarded: Kommunista Monte Cristo (2006) – In English Communist Monte Cristo Publishing house: Tericum, Budapest |
| IRELAND Winning author: Mrs Karen Gillece Book awarded: Longshore Drift (2006) Publishing house: Hachette, Dublin |
ITALY Winning author: Mr Daniele Del Giudice Book Awarded:Orizzonte mobile (2009) - in English : Movable Horizon Publishing house: Giulio Einaudi editore |
| LITHUANIA Winning author: Laura Sintija Černiauskaitė Book Awarded: Kvėpavimas į marmurą (2006) - In English Breathing into Marble Publishing house: Alma Littera |
NORWAY Winning author: Mr Carl Frode Tiller Book Awarded:- Innsirkling (2007) - in English : Encirclement Publishing house: Aschehoug |
| POLAND Winning author: Mr Jacek Dukaj Book Awarded: LÓD ( 2007) – In English ICE Publishing house: Wydawnictwo Literackie |
PORTUGAL Winning author: Mrs Dulce Maria Cardoso. Book Awarded: Os Meus Sentimentos (2005 Publishing house: Asa Editores |
| SLOVAKIA Winning author: Pavol Rankov Book Awarded: Stalo sa prvého septembra (alebo inokedy) (2008) - In English It Happened on September the First (or whenever) Publishing house: Kalligram |
SWEDEN Winning author: Mrs Helena Henschen Book Awarded: I skuggan av ett brott(2004). In English The Shadow of a Crime Publishing house: Brombergs The prize winners (Authors CV's) |
