EBRD Literature Prize
| EBRD Literature Prize | |
|---|---|
| Sponsored by | European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) |
| Country | .svg.png){kind=small} United Kingdom / Europe |
| Status | Active |
| First award | 2017 (established) |
| Website | https://www.ebrd.com/ebrd-literature-prize.html  |
The EBRD Literature Prize is a literary prize established in 2017 by the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) in cooperation with the British Council. It was first awarded in 2018. As per the bank, the prize celebrates the "literary richness" of its regions of operation, which include more than 40 countries across Europe, Asia and Africa.[1]
Each year, the prize is awarded for a novel or collection of short stories by a single author translated into English from a language of an economy where the EBRD currently invests. From the works submitted for consideration, ten are shortlisted, from which three are later chosen as finalists. The final winner is revealed at an awards ceremony and awarded €20,000, which is shared equally between the writer and translator. The authors and translators of the two other finalist books receive €2,000 each.
The prize is now entirely funded by the bank’s shareholders through its Community Initiative.
Entries are judged by an independent panel, composed of a chair and two or three other judges. The chair is in post for three years; the other judges are appointed yearly.
Rosie Goldsmith was chair of judges 2018–2020 and Toby Lichtig 2021–2023. Maya Jaggi is chair 2024–2026.
The inaugural winner of the EBRD Literature Prize was Istanbul Istanbul,[2] by the Turkish writer Burhan Sönmez, translated by Ümit Hussein.
Winners and nominees
= winner
| Year | Title | Author | Translator | Publisher | Language | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2018 | Istanbul Istanbul İstanbul İstanbul |  Burhan Sönmez | Ümit Hussein | Telegram Books | Turkish | Winner |
| All the World's a Stage Весь мир театр |   Boris Akunin | Andrew Bromfield | Weidenfeld & Nicolson | Russian | Shortlist | |
| Belladonna |  Daša Drndić | Celia Hawkesworth | MacLehose Press/Quercus | Croatian | ||
| The Traitor's Niche Kamarja e turpit |  Ismail Kadare | John Hodgson | Penguin Books | Albanian | ||
| The Red-Haired Woman Kırmızı Saçlı Kadın | Orhan Pamuk | Ekin Oklap | Faber & Faber | Turkish | ||
| Maryam: Keeper of Stories مريم الحكايا |  Alawiya Sobh | Nirvana Tanoukhi | Seagull Books | Arabic | ||
| In the Name of the Father V mene otca |  Balla | Julia Sherwood Peter Sherwood | Jantar Publishing | Slovak | Longlist | |
| About My Mother Sur ma mère |  Tahar Ben Jelloun | Ros Schwartz Lulu Norman | Saqi/Telegram | French | ||
| The Equestrienne Krasojazdkyňa | Uršuľa Kovalyk | Julia Sherwood Peter Sherwood | Parthian Books | Slovak | ||
| The Bickford Fuse Бикфордов мир |  Andrey Kurkov | Boris Dralyuk | MacLehose Press/Quercus | Russian | ||
| Women Who Blow on Knots Düğümlere Üfleyen Kadınlar | Ece Temelkuran | Alexander Dawe | Parthian Books | Turkish | ||
| Hair Everywhere Kosa posvuda | Tea Tulić | Coral Petkovich | Istros Books | Croatian | ||
| 2019 | The Devils' Dance Jinlar bazmi, yoxud Katta oʻyin |  Hamid Ismailov | Donald Rayfield John Farndon | Tilted Axis | Uzbek | Winner |
| Soviet Milk Mātes piens[3] |  Nora Ikstena | Margita Gailītis | Peirene Press | Latvian | Shortlist | |
| Drive Your Plow Over the Bones of the Dead Prowadź swój pług przez kości umarłych |  Olga Tokarczuk | Antonia Lloyd-Jones | Fitzcarraldo Editions | Polish | ||
| Lala | Jacek Dehnel | Antonia Lloyd-Jones | Oneworld Publications | Polish | Longlist | |
| My Name Is Adam اسمي آدم | Elias Khoury | Humphrey Davies | MacLehose Press | Arabic | ||
| The Clash of Images La querelle des images | Abdelfattah Kilito | Robyn Cresswell | Darf Publishers | French | ||
| The Peace Machine Barış Makinesi | Özgür Mumcu | Mark David Wyers | Pushkin Press | Turkish | ||
| The Aviator Авиатор | Eugene Vodolazkin | Lisa C. Hayden | Oneworld | Russian | ||
| The Book of Whispers Cartea șoaptelor |   Varujan Vosganian | Alastair Ian Blyth | Yale University | Romanian | ||
| Shatila Stories | Various | Nashwa Gowanlock | Peirene Press | Arabic | ||
| 2020 | Devilspel Очарованье сатаны |   Grigory Kanovich | Yisrael Elliot Cohen | Noir Press | Russian | Winner |
| Pixel | Krisztina Tóth | Owen Good | Seagull Books | Hungarian | Shortlist | |
| Zuleikha Зулейха открывает глаза | Guzel Yakhina | Lisa C. Hayden | Oneworld | Russian | ||
| Not Saying Goodbye Не прощаюсь | Boris Akunin | Andrew Bromfield | Orion | Russian | Longlist | |
| Sacred Darkness წმინდა წყვდიადი | Levan Berdzenishvili | Brian James Baer Ellen Vayner | Europa Editions | Georgian (translated from Russian) | ||
| Mrs Mohr Goes Missing Tajemnica domu Helclów | Jacek Dehnel | Antonia Lloyd-Jones | Oneworld | Polish | ||
| Bellevue | Ivana Dobrakovová | Julia Sherwood Peter Sherwood | Jantar Publishing | Slovak | ||
| Ice الجليد |  Sonallah Ibrahim | Margaret Litvin | Seagull Books | Arabic | ||
| Every Fire You Tend Yüzünde Bir Yer | Sema Kaygusuz | Nicholas Glastonbury | Tilted Axis | Turkish | ||
| Under Pressure Pod pritiskom |  Faruk Šehić | Mirza Purić | Istros Books | Bosnian | ||
| 2021 | The King of Warsaw Król | Szczepan Twardoch | Sean Gasper Bye | Amazon Crossing | Polish | Winner |
| The Pear Field მსხლების მინდორი | Nana Ekvtimishvili | Elizabeth Heighway | Peirene Press | Georgian | Shortlist | |
| Mr K Released Domnul K. eliberat |  Matei Vișniec | Jozefina Komporaly | Seagull Books | Romanian | ||
| Love in the Days of Rebellion İsyan Günlerinde Aşk | Ahmet Altan | Brendan Freely Yelda Türedi | Europa Editions | Turkish | Longlist | |
| Grey Bees Серые пчёлы | Andrey Kurkov | Boris Dralyuk | MacLehose/Quercus | Russian | ||
| Carbide Карбід | Andriy Lyubka | Reilly Costigan-Humes Isaac Stockhouse Wheeler | Jantar Publishing | Ukrainian | ||
| Hana |  Alena Mornštajnová | Julia Sherwood and Peter Sherwood | Parthian Books | Czech | ||
| No-Signal Area Područje bez signala | Robert Perišić | Ellen Elias-Bursać | Seven Stories | Croatian | ||
| The Highly Unreliable Account of the History of a Madhouse Bir Deliler Evinin Yalan Yanlış Anlatılan Kısa Tarihi | Ayfer Tunç | Feyza Howell | Istros Books | Turkish | ||
| Your Ad Could Go Here Тут могла б бути ваша реклама | Oksana Zabuzhko | Nina Murray Marta Horban Marco Carynnyk Halyna Hryn Askold Melnyczuk | Amazon Crossing | Ukrainian | ||
| 2022 | The Orphanage Інтернат | Serhiy Zhadan | Reilly Costigan-Humes Isaac Stackhouse Wheeler | Yale University | Ukrainian | Winner |
| The Book of Katerina Το βιβλίο της Κατερίνας |  Auguste Corteau | Claire Papamichail | Parthian Books | Greek | Shortlist | |
| Boat Number Five Piata loď | Monika Kompaníková | Janet Livingstone | Seagull Books | Slovak | ||
| Doctor Bianco and Other Stories Doktor Bianko i inne opowiadania | Maciek Bielawski | Scotia Gilroy | Terra Librorum | Polish | Longlist | |
| Birds of Verhovina Verhovina madarai |  Ádám Bodor | Peter Sherwood | Jantar Publishing | Hungarian | ||
| Red Crosses Красный крест |  Sasha Filipenko | Brian James Baer Ellen Vayner | Europa Editions | Russian | ||
| City of Torment Trýznivé město | Daniela Hodrová | Veronique Firkusny Elena Sokol | Jantar Publishing | Czech | ||
| Manaschi | Hamid Ismailov | Donald Rayfield | Tilted Axis Press | Uzbek | ||
| Karolina, or the Torn Curtain Rozdarta zasłona | Maryla Szymiczkowa | Antonia Lloyd-Jones | Oneworld | Polish | ||
| Just the Plague Чума | Ludmila Ulitskaya | Polly Gannon | Granta | Russian | ||
| 2023 | The Lake Jezero | Bianca Bellová | Alex Zucker | Parthian Books | Czech | Winner |
| Mister N مستر نون | Najwa Barakat | Luke Leafgren | And Other Stories | Arabic | Finalists | |
| The Books of Jacob Księgi Jakubowe | Olga Tokarczuk | Jennifer Croft | Fitzcarraldo Editions | Polish | ||
| Mothers and Truckers Matky a kamionisti | Ivana Dobrakovová | Julia Sherwood Peter Sherwood | Jantar Publishing | Slovak | Shortlist | |
| Invisible Woman and Other Stories Nevidljiva žena i druge priče | Slavenka Drakulić | Christina Pribichevich Zorić Jacob Agee | Fraktura | Croatian | ||
| Time Shelter Времеубежище |  Georgi Gospodinov | Angela Rodel | Weidenfeld & Nicolson | Bulgarian | ||
| According to Her Według niej | Maciej Hen | Anna Blasiak | Holland House Books | Polish | ||
| Body Kintsugi Kintsugi tijela | Senka Marić | Celia Hawkesworth | Peirene Press | Bosnian | ||
| Nights of Plague Veba Geceleri | Orhan Pamuk | Ekin Oklap | Faber & Faber | Turkish | ||
| Mondegreen: Songs about Death and Love Мондеґрін: Пісні про смерть і любов | Volodymyr Rafeienko | Mark Andryczyk | HURI Books | Ukrainian | ||
| 2024 | The End A vége | Attila Bartis | Judith Sollosy | Archipelago | Hungarian | Winner |
| The Wounded Age and Eastern Tales Yaralı Zaman & Doğu Öyküleri | Ferit Edgü | Aron Aji | New York Review | Turkish | Finalists | |
| Barcode Vonalkód | Krisztina Tóth | Peter Sherwood | Jantar Publishing | Hungarian | ||
| Niki Νίκη | Christos Chomenidis | Patricia Felisa Barbeito | Other Press | Greek | Shortlist | |
| Jimi Hendrix Live in Lviv Львовская гастроль Джими Хендрикса | Andrey Kurkov | Reuben Woolley | MacLehose Press | Russian | ||
| Exiled Shadow Umbra exilată | Norman Manea | Carla Baricz | Yale University | Romanian | ||
| History of Ash سيرة الرماد | Khadija Marouazi | Alexander E. Elinson | Hoopoe | Arabic | ||
| Let's Go Home, Son Sine, idemo kući | Ivica Prtenjača | David Williams | Istros Books | Croatian | ||
| This Thing Called Love اسمه الغرام | Alawiya Sobh | Max Weiss | Seagull Books | Arabic | ||
| A Sensitive Person Citlivý člověk | Jáchym Topol | Alex Zucker | Yale University | Czech | ||
| 2025 | Sons, Daughters Sinovi, kćeri | Ivana Bodrožić | Ellen Elias-Bursać | Seven Stories | Croatian | Winner |
| Forgottenness Забуття |  Tanya Malyarchuk | Zenia Tompkins | Bullaun Press (Ireland) Liveright (US) | Ukrainian | Finalists | |
| The Empusium: A Health Resort Horror Story Empuzjon: Horror przyrodoleczniczy | Olga Tokarczuk | Antonia Lloyd-Jones | Fitzcarraldo Editions | Polish | ||
| The Ukraine | Artem Chapeye | Zenia Tompkins | Seven Stories | Ukrainian | Shortlist | |
| Too Great a Sky Capătul drumului |  Liliana Corobca | Monica Cure | Seven Stories | Romanian | ||
| Engagement Nişan Evi |  Çiler İlhan | Kenneth Dakan | Istros Books | Turkish | ||
| My Women Мої жінки | Yuliia Iliukha | Hanna Leliv | 128 LIT | Ukrainian | ||
| Celebration Proslava | Damir Karakaš | Ellen Elias-Bursać | Selkies House | Croatian | ||
| Herscht 07769 | László Krasznahorkai | Ottilie Mulzet | New Directions | Hungarian | ||
| Life After Kafka Život po Kafkovi | Magdaléna Platzová | Alex Zucker | Bellevue | Czech | ||
| 2026 | People and Trees Adamlar və ağaclar |  Akram Aylisli | Katherine E. Young | Plamen Press | Azerbaijani (translated from Russian) | Winner |
| Ice Lód | Jacek Dukaj | Ursula Phillips | Head of Zeus | Polish | Finalists | |
| On the Greenwich Line على خط جرينتش | Shady Lewis | Katharine Halls | Peirene Press | Arabic | ||
| Sololand قانون سولولاند |   Hassan Blasim | Jonathan Wright | Comma Press | Arabic | Shortlist | |
| In Late Summer U kasno ljeto | Magdalena Blažević | Anđelka Raguž | Linden Editions | Croatian | ||
| Rock, Paper, Grenade Хто ти такий? | Artem Chekh | Olena Jennings Oksana Rosenblum | Seven Stories | Ukrainian | ||
| Death and the Gardener Градинарят и смъртта | Georgi Gospodinov | Angela Rodel | Weidenfeld & Nicolson | Bulgarian | ||
| We Computers: A Ghazal Novel Bizkim komputerlar, yo dunyoning eng goʻzal shoiri? | Hamid Ismailov | Shelley Fairweather-Vega | Yale University | Uzbek | ||
| Eye of the Monkey A majom szeme | Krisztina Tóth | Ottilie Mulzet | Seven Stories | Hungarian | ||
| Bedbugs Stjenice | Martina Vidaić | Ellen Elias-Bursać | Sandorf Passage | Croatian |
References
- ↑ "EBRD Literature Prize overview". ebrd.com. Retrieved 2021-03-17.
- ↑ Carpenter, Caroline (11 April 2018). "Love song to Istanbul scoops €20k EBRD prize". The Bookseller. Retrieved 2021-03-17.
- ↑ ""Soviet Milk" makes EBRD prize shortlist". Public Broadcasting of Latvia. 18 February 2019. Retrieved 6 January 2026.