Austrian State Prize for European Literature

We are proud to announce that Lídia Jorge has been awarded the Austrian State Prize for European Literature by the Federal Chancellery for Arts, Culture, and Media. Established in 1965, the prize honours the literary oeuvre of European authors with strong international visibility, documented through translations. The distinction is endowed with 25,000 Euros and awarded annually during the Salzburg Festival.

“For many decades, her writing has championed human equality and the value of life in a highly poetic manner. I have the deepest admiration for the author and poet Lídia Jorge. My warmest congratulations!”, states Andreas Babler, Vice-Chancellor and Federal Minister for the Arts and Culture in Austria.

The five-member jury explains that through her polyphonic and testimonial writing, Lídia Jorge leads readers “into the realms of deep uncertainty, where nothing is sublime or symbolic, but everything is significant.”

The most recent recipients of the State Prize are Serhij Zhadan, Joanna Bator, Marie NDiaye, Ali Smith, László Krasznahorkai, Drago Jančar, Michel Houellebecq, Zadie Smith and Karl Ove Knausgård.

For the official press release in German, please click here.