The longlist for the European Literature Prize 2012 has been announced. Eleven independent Dutch and Flemish bookshops have selected the twenty best titles from among the European literary novels published in Dutch translation in 2011. The prize will be presented in early September, during Manuscripta 2012.
The following twenty titles have been nominated (in alphabetical order by author):
- Alsof het voorbij is by Julian Barnes, translated from the English by Ronald Vlek (Atlas)
- De begraafplaats van Praag by Umberto Eco, translated from the Italian by Yond Boeke & Patty Krone (Prometheus)
- Vertel hun over veldslagen, koningen en olifanten by Mathias Enard, translated from the French by Katrien Vandenberghe (De Arbeiderspers)
- Geluk als het geluk ver te zoeken is by Wilhelm Genazino, translated from the German by Gerrit Bussink (Atlas)
- Tsjik by Wolfgang Herrndorf, translated from the German by Pauline de Bok (Cossee)
- De kaart en het gebied by Michel Houellebecq, translated from the French by Martin de Haan (De Arbeiderspers)
- De 100-jarige man die uit het raam klom en verdween by Jonas Jonasson, translated from the Swedish by Corry van Bree (Signatuur)
- Een noodlottig diner by Ismail Kadare, translated from the Albanian by Roel Schuyt (Van Gennep)
- Vader by Karl Ove Knausgård, translated from the Norwegian by Marianne Molenaar (De Geus)
- Zeezwijgen by Nicol Ljubic, translated from the German by Nelleke van Maaren (Babel & Voss)
- Asan by Vladimir Makanin, translated from the Russian by Gerard Cruys (De Arbeiderspers)
- Geschiedenis van een gevallen engel by Henning Mankell, translated from the Swedish by Clementine Luijten (De Geus)
- C by Tom McCarthy, translated from the English by Auke Leistra (De Bezige Bij)
- De horizon by Patrick Modiano, translated from the French by Maarten Elzinga (Querido)
- De nacht der tijden by Antonio Mun͂oz Molina, translated from the Spanish by Tineke Hillegers-Zijlmans & Frieda Kleinjan-van Braam (De Geus)
- Het Mussolinikanaal by Antonio Pennacchi, translated from the Italian by Mieke Geuzebroek & Pietha de Voogd (De Bezige Bij)
- Vervolging by Alessandro Piperno, translated from the Italian by Rob Gerritsen (Contact)
- De waarheid omtrent Marie by Jean-Philippe Toussaint, translated from the French by Marianne Kaas (Prometheus)
- Smeltend ijs by Ilija Trojanow, translated from the German by José Rijnaarts (De Geus)
- Waarom gelukkig zijn als je normaal kunt zijn? by Jeanette Winterson, translated from the English by Maarten Polman (Contact)
The European Literature Prize will be presented in 2012 for the second time, recognizing the best novel translated from a European language into Dutch in 2011. Last year’s winner was Drie sterke vrouwen by Marie NDiaye, translated from the French by Jeanne Holierhoek. The prize goes to both the author and the translator of the chosen title, with the author receiving the sum of €10,000 and the translator €2,500
A jury drawn from the world of literature and literary translation will choose the shortlist of five. The jury members are:
- Frans Timmermans, member of parliament and former Secretary of State for European Affairs (chairman)
- Joost de Vries, writer and literary critic at De Groene Amsterdammer
- Ton Naaijkens, professor of translation studies, Utrecht University
- Monique van Oosterhout, Boekhandel Van Gennep, Rotterdam
- Herm Pol, Athenaeum Boekhandel, Amsterdam
The shortlist will be announced during a celebratory evening in Spui25 on Thursday 10 May. That evening will also mark the start of the Vertalersgeluktournee: the translators of the five shortlisted titles will travel the Low Countries in May and June to talk about literary translation as a profession and about translating the nominated title.
The European Literature Prize is an initiative of the Academic-Cultural Centre Spui25, the Dutch Foundation for Literature, the weekly De Groene Amsterdammer and Athenaeum Boekhandel. The following independent bookshops have helped to make it possible:
- Boekhandel de Groene Waterman, Antwerpen (www.groenewaterman.be)
- Boekhandel De Omslag, Delft (www.deomslagdelft.nl)
- Boekhandel Het Martyrium, Amsterdam (www.hetmartyrium.nl)
- Boekhandel Krings, Sittard (www.boekhandelkrings.nl)
- Literaire Boekhandel Lijnmarkt, Utrecht (www.literaireboekhandellijnmarkt.nl)
- Boekhandel van Gennep, Rotterdam (www.boekhandelvangennep.nl)
- Eerste Bergensche Boekhandel, Bergen N-H (www.eerstebergenscheboekhandel.nl)
- Linnaeus Boekhandel, Amsterdam (www.linnaeusboekhandel.nl)
- Boekhandel Van Rossum, Amsterdam (www.boekhandelvanrossum.nl)
- Athenaeum Boekhandel. Haarlem (www.athenaeum.nl)
- Athenaeum Boekhandel, Amsterdam (www.athenaeum.nl)
More information
- For further information about the European Literature Prize please contact Maaike Pereboom, Promotion and Information Department, Dutch Foundation for Literature, tel. +31 20 520 73 00 of mail: [email protected]
- For further information about the Vertalersgeluktournee please contact its organizer, literary translator Nicolette Hoekmeijer, mail: [email protected] or Hanneke Marttin, Dutch Foundation for Literature, tel. + 31 20 520 73 00, mail: [email protected]
