Award ceremony

International Literature Award - Haus der Kulturen der Welt

(Reception follows)

Wed 30.09.2009 | 19:30 h | Free admission, reservation tickets required

The International Literature award for contemporary prose in German translation will be presented for the first time this year - 2009 to Daniel Alarcón and Friederike Meltendorf for "Lost City Radio". The highly endowed award from the Stiftung Elementarteilchen and the Haus der Kulturen der Welt is intended to give new impetus to the exchange of literary worlds. From the very beginning, the spirit of the Haus has always sought to mediate between worlds, that is, to translate. Chosen by a jury comprised of distinguished scholars and literary critics, the author and the translator will be honored for their excellence by Itmar Ette. A key note will be given by Ilija Trojanow.

Moderation: Wilfried F. Schoeller, Lecture: Anna Thalbach

The jury: Christian Döring (editor and literary critic), Ottmar Ette (Literary scholar, University of Potsdam), Sigrid Löffler (Literary critic), Katharina Narbutovic (Head of Berlin Artists Program of the DAAD), Peter Ripken (International Center Frankfurt Book Fair), Jan Szlovák (Chair of the Foundation Elementarteilchen), and Susanne Stemmler (Head of Literature, Haus der Kulturen der Welt ).

Shortlist for 2009 in alphabetical order

Alarcón, Daniel: Lost City Radio

Wagenbach 2008 ; translated by Friederike Meltendorf

(Lost City Radio, HarperCollins 2007)

Doulatabadi, Mahmud: Der Colonel

Unionsverlag 2009 , translated by Bahman Nirumand

(Sawal-e Colonel )

Hage, Rawi: Als ob es kein Morgen gäbe

DuMont Verlag 2009 , translated by Gregor Hens

(De Niro’s Game, Anansi Press 2006)

Hemon, Aleksandar: Lazarus

Knaus Verlag 2009 , translated by Rudolf Hermstein