International Literature Award - Haus der Kulturen der Welt 2011

The literary traditions of the world are the focus of this award for international prose translated into German for the first time. The prize has been awarded annually by the Haus der Kulturen der Welt and the foundation “Elementarteilchen” since 2009.

The Award Winners 2011: Michail Schischkin and Andreas Tretner
(Foto: Marcus Lieberenz © Haus der Kulturen der Welt)

The Award Winners 2011

The author Michail Schischkin and his translator Andreas Tretner for “Venushaar” (Orig: “Venerin Volos”), 2011 published by the DVA.
The Jury’s Laudations...

Shortlist 2011

111 titles, translated from a total of 24 languages by writers from 50 different countries, were submitted by German-language publishers in Germany, Austria and Switzerland.

The following works were nominated for the shortlist
(in alphabetical order):

José Eduardo Agualusa: „Barroco tropical“
A1 Verlag 2011, translated from the Portuguese by Michael Kegler

Joanna Bator: „Sandberg“
Suhrkamp Verlag 2011, translated from the Polish by Esther Kinsky

Edwidge Danticat: „Der verlorene Vater“
Edition Büchergilde 2010, translated from the English by Susann Urban

Mathias Énard: „Zone“
Bloomsbury/Berlin-Verlag 2010 , translated from the French by Holger Fock and Sabine Müller

Elias Khoury: „Yalo“
Suhrkamp Verlag 2011, translated from the Arabic by Leila Chammaa

Michail Schischkin: „Venushaar“
Deutsche Verlags-Anstalt 2011, translated from the Russian by Andreas Tretner

It comprises 35,000 Euro – 25,000 Euro for the author and 10,000 for the translator. The award spotlights the diversity of contemporary lilterature around the world and the intercultural mediation performed by translators – a function that is increasingly important in a globalized society.

The prize is awarded to contemporary literary narrators who are outstanding in the international world of literature production and whose work is characterized by thematic diversity and new literary forms. Hence, the award is also an instrument of cultural policy, dedicated to the translation aspect of global cultural output and promoting interplay between international literature and a ‘literary canon’ still perceived from a national point of view.

In 2011, German-language publishers were once again invited to submit titles for consideration. The closing date for applications was 25 February. A jury of renowned literary critics, journalists, translators and writers determined the award-winners in a multi-step procedure. The award will be presented to the winners on 29 June 2011 in Berlin.

The Jury 2011/2012
Ramón García-Ziemsen (Chief editor, Deutsche Welle)
Marie Luise Knott (Critic, Translator)
Claudia Kramatschek (Literary Critic/Cultural Journalist)
Lothar Müller (Editorial journalist, Süddeutsche Zeitung)
Ilma Rakusa (Author/Translator/Publicist)
Susanne Stemmler (Head of Literature and Humanities, Haus der Kulturen der Welt)
Stefan Weidner (Author/Translator/Literary Critic)

The jury was selected by an independent committee. The members of the committee are: Erik Bettermann (director-general of Deutsche Welle), Klaus-Dieter Lehmann (President of the Goethe-Institut), Joachim Sartorius (Writer and director-general of the Berliner Festspiele), Christina Weiss (Writer, professor and chairwoman of the Verein der Freunde der Nationalgalerie), Jan Slovak (Chairman of the board of Stiftung Elementarteilchen).

In cooperation with VdÜ (Verband deutschsprachiger Übersetzer literarischer und wissenschaftlicher Werke and Deutsche Welle