On the evening of 6 December, the European Union Prize for Literature (EUPL) honoured all the authors nominated for the 2022 edition during a celebratory event, which took place at Flagey culture house in Brussels, Belgium. The event took attendees on a journey through the literary works of the nominated authors, highlighting the diversity of European literature, as well as its linguistic richness. The authors, divided into 4 thematic groups, presented their work to the audience, reading excerpts from their nominated books in their mother tongue. Each reading was then followed by a discussion with the public.
Later on, the celebration moved to Flagey main stage, starting with an introduction by Ms Mariya Gabriel, European Commissioner for Innovation, Research, Culture, Education and Youth, Ms Sabine Verheyen, Chair of the Committee on Culture and Education of the European Parliament, Ms Sonia Draga, Vice President of the Federation of European Publishers, and Mr Jean-Luc Treutenaere, Co-President of the European & International Booksellers Federation. Mr Serhii Tereshko, Deputy Head of Mission of Ukraine to the EU, took to stage to speak about the importance of literature for the Ukrainian European identity. Following the introduction, the authors took turns on stage to exchange with the Master of Ceremony, journalist Joris Vergeyle. The evening concluded with a reception, which gave the authors and the attendees a chance to connect over a glass of wine and a bite to eat.
The event was a delightful conclusion to the 2022 edition of the European Union Prize for Literature and a great opportunity for lovers of literature to get together in celebration of this year’s wonderful nominees and of Europe’s rich literary and linguistic panorama.
About the 2022 edition:
Fourteen authors from fourteen countries have participated in the 2022 edition of the Prize. For the first time, a seven-member European jury awarded one overall winner for this edition, accompanied by five special mentions. The winner of the 2022 edition of EUPL is Iva Pezuashvili (Georgia) with his book ‘A Garbage Chute’. The special mention title was awarded to five authors: Gaea Schoeters (Belgium) with her book ‘Trophy’, Sladjana Nina Perković (Bosnia and Herzegovina) with her book ‘In the Ditch’, Tadhg Mac Dhonnagáin (Ireland) with his book ‘Madame Lazare’, Jacobo Bergareche (Spain) with his book ‘Perfect Days’ and Eugenia Kuznetsova (Ukraine) with her book ‘Ask Miechka’. The list of 2022 nominees concludes with Kjersti Anfinnsen (Norway, ‘Moments for Eternity’), Vladimir Jankovski (North Macedonia, ‘Hidden Desires, Restless Travels’), Takis Kampylis (Greece, ‘General Symptoms’), Peter Karoshi (Austria, ‘The Elephants’), Daniele Mencarelli (Italy, ‘Always Return’), Raluca Nagy (Romania, ‘Teo from 4 to 6’), Richard Pupala (Slovakia, ‘Women and Men, Animals’) and Tomas Vaiseta (Lithuania, ‘Ch.’).
About EUPL:
Spotlighting the creativity and the immense and diverse wealth of Europe’s contemporary literature, the European Union Prize for Literature (EUPL) recognises the best emerging fiction writers in Europe.
The Prize is open to 41 countries participating in the Creative Europe programme of the European Union, celebrating 41 outstanding new literary talents across a cycle of three years. EUPL aims to promote the circulation of literature within Europe and encourage greater interest in non-national literary works. The Prize is financed by the Creative Europe programme of the European Union, which aims to promote cross-border mobility of those working in the cultural sector, encourage the transnational circulation of cultural and artistic output and foster intercultural dialogue.
You can see pictures of the event here.
