The European Union Prize for Literature (EUPL) was awarded yesterday to 14 authors from across Europe at a ceremony in Brussels.
While not considered as prestigious as the Nobel Prize in literature , the EUPL highlights the wealth of contemporary European literature and draws attention to the continent’s cultural and linguistic heritage.
The Prize is financed by the Creative Europe programme of the European Commission, which aims to achieve three main goals: to promote cross-border mobility of those working in the cultural sector; to encourage the transnational circulation of cultural and artistic output, and to foster intercultural dialogue.
Such a grand evening is behind us. ? Congratulations to the real stars of the evening - our lovely authors - and to @SofiOksanen for her inspiring and eye-opening speech. ?? Till next year! #eupl9 #creativeeurope #europeforculture @europe_creative pic.twitter.com/3tWKgE7zg7
— EUPL (@EUPLPrize) October 4, 2019
The Prize competition is open to the 41 countries - the EU member states, the candidate countries, and Iceland, Norway, Georgia, Moldova, Tunisia and Armenia - currently involved in the Creative Europe programme.
Each year since 2009, national juries in a third of the participating countries nominate their winning authors, making it possible for all countries and language areas to be represented over a three-year cycle. Each winner receives a prize of €5,000. The Awards Ceremony (2 October) was an opportunity to celebrate European literary diversity and encourage transnational cultural exchange.
This year’s 14 laureates are: Laura Fredenthaler (Austria), Piia Leino (Finland), Sophie Daull (France), Réka Mán-Várhegyi (Hungary), Beqa Adamashvili (Georgia), Nikos Chryssos (Greece), Jan Carson (Ireland), Giovanni Dozzini (Italy), Daina Opolskaite (Lithuania), Marta Dzido (Poland), Tatiana Țîbuleac (Romania), Ivana Dobrakovová (Slovakia), Halya Shyyan (Ukraine) and Melissa Harrison (United Kingdom).
The Brussels Times
