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By Porter Anderson, Editor-in-Chief | @Porter_Anderson
Fourteen Nations Are in This Year’s Cycle
This year’s European Union Prize for Literature—a program geared to spotlight emerging fiction writers from across the bloc—has 55 nominees in place, representing literature from 14 nations.
Participating member-states rotate annually in this award series, which is financed by the European Commission’s Creative Europe program. A third of the countries compete annually.
The organizing associations behind the prize are the European Writers Council, the Federation of European Publishers, and the International Booksellers Federation, all well known to Publishing Perspectives’ international readership.
Overall, the award program reaches 41 nations under the Creative Europe umbrella. Opened in 2009, the prize has recognized 135 authors as winners in 12 cycles.
The winners of the 2021 cycle are scheduled to be named in a digital event on May 18. Each nation’s shortlist is selected by a national jury.
European Union Prize for Literature 2021 Shortlist
This year’s participating nations are listed in alphabetical order.
Albania
- Ana Kove, Kambanat e së dielës (Bells on Sunday), publisher: Toena
- Brajan Sukaj, Viti i Elefantit (The Year of the Elephant), publisher: Ombra GVG
- Liridon Mulaj, Mos harro të më kujtosh (Don’t forget to remember me), publisher: Onufri
- Loer Kume, Amygdala Mandala (Amygdala Mandala), publisher: UET Press
- Tom Kuka, Flama (Calamity), publisher: Pegi
Armenia
- Արամ Ավետիս (Аram Avetis), Երբ առնետները կարդալ գիտեին (When Rats Could Read), publisher: Actual Art Publishing House
- Արամ Պաչյան (Aram Pachyan), P/F, Publisher: Edge Publishing House
- Անուշ Սարգսյան (Anoush Sargsyan), Անոն (Ano), publisher: Antares Publishing House
- Հովիկ Աֆյան (Hovik Afyan), Կարմիր (Red), publisher: Antares Publishing House
- Լուսինե Խառատյան (Lusine Kharatyan), Անմոռուկի փակուղի (The Dead End Forget-me-not), publisher: Granish
Bulgaria
- Георги Бърдаров (Georgi Bardarov), Absolvo te (Absolvo te), publisher: Musagena
- Стефан Коспартов (Stefan Kospartov), Гълъбария (Pigeonland), publisher: Ciela Norma
- Владислав Кацарски (Vladislav Katsarski), Загърбената земя (The Abandoned Land), publisher: Vessela Ljutzkanova
- Зорница Гъркова (Zornitsa Garkova), Те никога не казват (They Never Say), publisher: Fama
Czech Republic
- Anna Bolavá, Před povodní (Before The Flood), publisher: Odeon
- Daniel Hradecký, Tři kapitoly (Three Chapters), publisher: Listen
- Lucie Faulerová, Smrtholka (Deathmaiden), publisher: Torst
- Matěj Hořava, Mezipřistání (Stopover), publisher: Host
- Miřenka Čechová, Baletky (Ballerinas), publisher: Paseka
Iceland
- Benný Sif Ísleifsdóttir, Hansdætur (Hansdaughters), publisher: Mál og menning
- Bergþóra Snæbjörnsdóttir, Svínshöfuð (Pighead), publisher: Benedikt
- Jónas Reynir Gunnarsson, Dauði skógar (Death of a Forest), publisher: JPV útgáfa
- Sigrún Pálsdóttir, Delluferðin (The Nonsense Trip), publisher: JPV útgáfa
- Yrsa Þöll Gylfadóttir, Strendingar (Prisms), publisher: Bjartur
Latvia
- Jana Egle, Dzimšanas diena (Birthday), publisher: Latvijas Mediji
- Laura Vinogradova, Upe (The River), publisher: Zvaigzne ABC Publishers
- Rasa Bugavičute-Pēce, Puika, kurš redzēja tumsā (The Boy Who Could See in the Dark), publisher: Latvijas Mediji
- Svens Kuzmins, Hohma (Hokhmah), publisher: Dienas Grāmata
Malta
- Joe Pace, Papa Aħmed (Pope Ahmed), publisher: Merlin Publishers
- Lara Calleja, Kissirtu Kullimkien (You’ve Destroyed Everywhere), publisher: Merlin Publishers
Moldova
- Lucreția Bârlădeanu, Misterul de Est (The Eastern Mistery), publisher: Arc
- Nicolae Spătaru, Măștile lui Brejnev (Brezhnev’s Masks), publisher: Paralela 45 Publishing House
The Netherlands
- Gerda Blees, Wij zijn licht (We are light), publisher: Podium
- Jente Posthuma, Waar ik liever niet aan denk (Which I rather not think about), publisher: Uitgeverij Pluim
- Raoul de Jong, Jaguarman (Jaguarman), publisher: De Bezige Bij
Portugal
- Ana Margarida de Carvalho, O gesto que fazemos para proteger a cabeça (The gesture we make to protect the head), publisher: Relógio D’Água
- Frederico Pedreira, A lição do Sonâmbulo (The Sleepwalker’s Lesson), publisher: Companhia das Ilhas
- Isabel Rio Novo, Rua de Paris em dia de Chuva (Paris street in rainy day), publisher: D Quixote
- João Pinto Coelho, Um tempo a fingir (A time to pretend), publisher: D Quixote
Serbia
- Dejan Tiago Stanković, Zamalek (Zamalek), publisher: Laguna
- Filip Grujić, Podstanar (Tenant), publisher: Lom
- Savo Stijepović, Prekrasne ruševine (Beautiful ruins), publisher: Dereta
- Zvonka Gazivoda, Hostel Kalifornija (Hotel California), publisher: Geopoetika
Slovenia
- Anja Mugerli, Čebelja družina (Bee Family), publisher: Cankarjeva založba
- Davorin Lenko, Psihoporn (Psychoporn), publisher: Cankarjeva založba
- Gašper Kralj, Škrbine (Stubs), publisher: Založba /*cf.
- Jernej Županič, Behemot (The Behemoth), publisher: Beletrina
Sweden
- Balsam Karam, Singulariteten (Singularity), publisher: Norstedts
- Johanne Lykke Holm, Strega (Strega), publisher: Albert Bonniers förlag
- Maxim Grigoriev, Europa (Europe), publisher: Albert Bonniers förlag
- Pooneh Rohi, Hölje (Schroud), publisher: Ordfront
- Tone Schunnesson, Dagarna, dagarna, dagarna (Days, Days, Days), publisher: Norstedts
Tunisia
- Amin Al-Ghazzi, زندالي.. ليلة 14 جانفي 2011 (Zindali, the night of 14 january 2011), publisher: Zeineb éditions
- Béchir Garbouj, L’Emirat (The Emirate), publisher: Déméter
- Saber Mansouri, Sept morts audacieux et un poète assis (Seven daring deaths and a seated poet), publisher: Elyzad
If you’d like to review the jurors operating in each country, you’ll find information on them here, categorized by nation and by year.
More from Publishing Perspectives on international publishing and book awards is here. And more on Europe is here.
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