International Literature Award - Haus der Kulturen der Welt 2010

The literatures of the world are the focus of the award for international prose literature in a first German translation. Last year the Haus der Kulturen der Welt and the Stiftung Elementarteilchen presented the award for the first time.

The highly endowed award - €25,000 goes to the author and €10,000 to the translator - draws attention to contemporary literature across the globe and pays tribute to the mediatory role played by literary translators. The award acknowledges contemporary international narrative voices, particularly from countries within Africa, Asia, Central and South America, which move between the worlds and literatures of a globalized world and "transfer" it in a literary form. In 2009, the Peruvian author Daniel Alarcón and his translator Friederike Meltendorf won the first INTERNATIONAL LITERATURE AWARD – HAUS DER KULTUREN DER WELT for "Lost City Radio" (Wagenbach Verlag, 2008).

Once again, in 2010, German and international publishing houses are invited to submit titles by 06 of April 2010. A jury of renowned literary critics and scholars select the award winner through a multistage process.

Jury members: Christian Döring (editor and literary critic), Ottmar Ette (Chair of Romance Literature, University of Potsdam), Sigrid Löffler (literary critic), Katharina Narbutovic (Director, DAAD Berlin Artist-in-Residence program), Peter Ripken (CEO ICORN – International Cities of Refuge Network), Jan Szlovák (Chairman, Stiftung Elementarteilchen) and Susanne Stemmler (Head of Literature, Haus der Kulturen der Welt).

Contact literaturpreis@hkw.de

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