About the European Literature Prize
The European Literature Prize honors the best contemporary European novel published in Dutch translation in the previous year. Both the author and the translator of the winning novel are recognized, with each receiving €10,000 in prize money. This year marks the 14th edition of the European Literature Prize.
European Literature Prize 2024 Award Ceremony
The winners of the 2024 European Literature Prize have been announced. The winning book is Empusion by Olga Tokarczuk, translated by Karol Lesman (published by De Geus).
The award ceremony will take place on Saturday, November 2, starting at 16:30, during the Crossing Border festival at the Kunstmuseum. Olga Tokarczuk, a previous Nobel Prize in Literature laureate, and Karol Lesman will receive the award from jury chair Niña Weijers. Following the presentation, Tokarczuk and Lesman will engage in a moderated discussion about the book.
This event is free to attend, but reservations are required through the Crossing Border ticket shop.
Books will be available for purchase at the Other World Bookshop, and Olga Tokarczuk will be signing copies after the event.
About Empusion
In September 1913, student Mieczysław Wojnicz travels from Lemberg to a renowned sanatorium in the mountains of Prussian Silesia. He takes up residence in a gentlemen's pension, where patients from across Europe, much like in Thomas Mann's The Magic Mountain, engage in endless philosophical discussions. Meanwhile, Mieczysław becomes increasingly intrigued by the disturbing events unfolding around him, unaware that dark forces are targeting him as well.
Olga Tokarczuk
Born in Poland in 1962, Olga Tokarczuk is widely regarded as the most significant Polish author of her generation. She was awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature in 2018, following earlier recognition with the Man Booker International Prize and Poland's most prestigious literary honor, the Nike Award. Her works available in Dutch translation include The Restless, The Books of Jacob, The Last Stories, Drive Your Plow Over the Bones of the Dead, and The Tender Narrator.
Karol Lesman
Born in 1951, Karol Lesman studied Slavic languages and literature at the University of Amsterdam. He has translated numerous works from Polish, including books by Wisława Szymborska and Zbigniew Herbert, in addition to Tokarczuk's novels. Over his five-decade career, he has received several awards, including the Aleida Schot Prize and the Martinus Nijhoff Translation Prize.
More details of the winner and the shortlist can be found on the European Literature Prize website.
Partners
The European Literature Prize is an initiative of the Dutch Foundation for Literature, the academic-cultural platform SPUI25, the weekly magazine De Groene Amsterdammer, and Athenaeum Bookstore. The prize is made possible through financial support from the Lira Fund, the De Lancey & De La Hanty Foundation, and the Dutch Foundation for Literature. In collaboration with Hebban.nl, stories from the translators on the longlist are published on the Translators’ Channel, and book clubs are organized around the shortlisted titles.
