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European Literature Prize 2014 longlist announced

28 January 2014

The longlist for the European Literature Prize 2014 has been announced: twenty novels translated into Dutch from no fewer than twelve different languages. A jury of Dutch and Flemish quality bookshops was asked to choose the best European novels in Dutch translation published in the past year. The prize is worth €10,000 to the author of the winning book and €5,000 to the translator.

This year’s list includes an unusually high proportion of men, with just three women: Kate Atkinson from Britain and the Italian authors Francesca Melandri and Elena Ferrante. It is not at all a collection of established names. Alongside titles by experienced writers such as Siegfried Lenz and Ismail Kadare are audacious debuts like the Sez Ner trilogy by Swiss author Arno Camenisch and Daar is hij weer (Er ist wieder da / He’s Back) by Timur Vermes. With translations from twelve languages, the longlist demonstrates once again the literary richness of the European continent.

The following titles have been nominated (in alphabetical order by author):

  • Leven na leven (Life after Life) by Kate Atkinson, translated from the English by Inge Kok (Atlas Contact)
  • Sez Ner-trilogie (*Sez Ner trilogy) *by Arno Camenisch, translated from the German/Swiss by Miek Zwamborn (De Bezige Bij)
  • De vlucht (Intemperie) by Jesús Carrasco, translated from the Spanish by Arie van der Wal (Meulenhoff)
  • Wraakengelen by Borislav Čičovački, translated from the Serbo-Croat by Roel Schuyt (Atlas Contact)
  • De geniale vriendin (La amica geniale) by Elena Ferrante, translated from the Italian by Marieke van Laake (Wereldbibliotheek)
  • De preek over de val van Rome (Le sermon sur la chûte de Rome) by Jerôme Ferrari, translated from the French by Reintje Ghoos & Jan Pieter van der Sterre (De Bezige Bij)
  • Het menselijk lichaam (Il corpo humano) by Paolo Giordano, translated from the Italian by Pietha de Voogd & Mieke Geuzebroek (De Bezige Bij)
  • Fuck America (Fuck America) by Edgar Hilsenrath, translated from the German by Elly Schippers (Anthos)
  • Het reisverbod (E penguara) by Ismail Kadare, translated from the Albanian by Roel Schuyt (Van Gennep)
  • F (F) by Daniel Kehlmann, translated from the German by Gerda Meijerink (Querido)
  • Zoon (Min kamp: tredje bok) by Karl Ove Knausgård, translated from de Norwegian by Paula Stevens (De Geus)
  • De heerlijkheid van het leven (Die Herrlichkeit des Lebens) by Michael Kumpfmüller, translated from the German by Hans Driessen & Marion Hardoar (Van Gennep)
  • Bureau gevonden voorwerpen (Fundbüro) by Siegfried Lenz, translated from the German by Gerrit Bussink (Van Gennep)
  • Hoger dan de zee (Più alto del mare) by Francesca Melandri, translated from the Italian by Jan van der Haar (Cossee)
  • Zeven minuten na middernacht (A Monster Calls) van Patrick Ness, translated from the English by Manon Smits (De Geus)
  • Onvoltooide liefdesbrieven (Pisʹmovnik) by Michaïl Sjisjkin, translated from the Russian by Gerard Cruys (Querido)
  • Het hart van de mens (Hjarta mansinns) by Jón Kalman Stefánsson, translated from the Islandic by Marcel Otten (Anthos)
  • Het testament van Maria (The Testament of Mary) by Colm Tóibin, translated from the English by Anneke Bok (World Editions)
  • Bleke Niko (Blady Niko) by Tomek Tryzna, translated from the Polish by Karol Lesman (De Geus)
  • Daar is hij weer (Er ist wieder da) by Timur Vermes, translated from the German by Liesbeth van Nes (Bezige Bij Antwerpen)

The shortlist will be announced May 2014 in Amsterdam. A jury drawn from the world of literature and literary translation, chaired by Alexander Rinnooy Kan, will choose the five titles.

Prior to the announcement of the shortlist, in April and May the Vertalersgeluktournee will take place: the translators of the longlisted titles will travel the Low Countries to talk about literary translation as a profession and about translating the nominated title.

The European Literature Prize will be presented in 2014 for the fourth time, recognizing the best novel translated from a European language into Dutch in the previous year. Previously the prize went to Drie sterke vrouwen (Trois femmes puissantes) by Marie NDiaye, translated from the French by Jeanne Holierhoek , Alsof het voorbij is (The Sense of an Ending) by Julian Barnes, translated from the English by Ronald Vlek and *Limonov *by Emmanuel Carrère translated from the French by Katelijne de Vuyst and Katrien Vandenberghe.

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. And supported by Lira foundation. The longlist jury is made up of the following bookshops:

More information:

For further information please contact the Dutch Foundation for Literature, tel. +31 20 520 73 00: Roos de Ridder (translation policy department), e-mail: r.de.ridder@letterenfonds.nl or Hanneke Marttin (press, publications and websites), e-mail: h.marttin@letterenfonds.nl.

You can download the logo of the European Literature Prize here: www.letterenfonds.nl/en/european-literature-prize

Follow the European Literature Prize on Facebook.

Roos de Ridder

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Roos de Ridder

Assessment translators

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