Ugljesa Sajtinac is one of the laureates of European Union Prize for Literature, which recognises the best new and emerging authors in Europe, announced Androulla Vassiliou European Commissioner for Education, Culture, Multilingualism and Youth at the Frankfurt Book Fair.
Apart from Sajtinac, who won the award for his novel “Quite Modest Gifts“, this year’s winners are: Ben Blushi (Albania), Milen Ruskov (Bulgaria), Jan Němec (Czech Republic), Makis Tsitas (Greece), Oddný Eir (Iceland), Janis Jonevs (Latvia), Armin Öhri (Liechtenstein), Pierre J. Mejlak (Malta), Ognjen Spahić (Montenegro), Marente de Moor (The Netherlands), Birgül Oğuz (Turkey) and Evie Wyld (United Kingdom).
The European Union Prize for Literature (EUPL) is open to countries participating in Creative Europe, the EU funding programme for the cultural and creative sectors.
“My warmest congratulations to the winners of the European Union Prize for Literature. The Prize is dedicated to the best new and emerging authors in Europe, regardless of their country of origin or language,” said Vassiliou.
“The aim is to showcase Europe’s best contemporary literature, encourage cross-border sales and promote the translation, publishing and reading of literature from other countries. The EU’s new Creative Europe programme offers grants for translation, helping authors to attract readers beyond national and linguistic borders,“ Commissioner added.
Since the Prize was launched in 2009, the EU has provided funding for the translation of books by 56 (out of 59) EUPL winners, into 20 different European languages, covering a total of 203 translations – on average 3-4 translations per book. The winners also benefit from extra visibility at Europe’s major book fairs, including Frankfurt, London, Göteborg and the Passaporta Festival in Brussels.
This year’s Prize winners will be presented with their awards during a gala ceremony at the Concert Noble in Brussels on 18 November, in the presence of the European Commissioner for Education and Culture, members of the European Parliament and representatives of the Italian Presidency of the EU.
Winners of 2014 European Union Prize for Literature announced at Frankfurt Book Fair
Androulla VASSILIOU-EU Prize for Literature: a unique award that celebrates talent and diversity
