Bianca Bellová and Translator Alex Zucker Receive EBRD Literature Prize for ‘The Lake’

Bianca Bellová and Translator Alex Zucker Receive EBRD Literature Prize for ‘The Lake’

(IN BRIEF) The European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) has announced the winner of the EBRD Literature Prize 2023. “The Lake” by Bianca Bellová, translated from Czech into English by Alex Zucker and published by Parthian Books, emerged as the winning work. The author and translator were honored at an awards ceremony in London, where they received a prize of €20,000. Two runners-up, “Mister N” by Najwa Barakat and “The Books of Jacob” by Olga Tokarczuk, also received recognition. The EBRD Literature Prize aims to celebrate literary diversity and the role of translators in connecting cultures. The prize is part of the EBRD’s Community Initiative, which supports philanthropic and cultural activities in the regions it operates. Submissions for the 2024 prize will open in the autumn.

(PRESS RELEASE) LONDON, 16-Jun-2023 — /EuropaWire/ — The European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD), a multilateral developmental investment bank, is thrilled to announce “The Lake” by Bianca Bellová as the winner of the EBRD Literature Prize 2023. Translated from Czech to English by Alex Zucker and published by Parthian Books, this captivating work of translated literary fiction from the Czech Republic stood out among the entries, impressing the independent panel of judges composed of Toby Lichtig (Chair), Maya Jaggi, Arkady Ostrovsky, and Natasha Randall.

EBRD President Odile Renaud-Basso personally congratulated the author and translator at an awards ceremony held at the Bank’s headquarters in London. The €20,000 prize will be equally divided between the author and translator, recognizing their exceptional contribution to literature.

Author Bianca Bellová said: “I am totally overwhelmed by this international acknowledgement. It means so much. The judges are all prominent critics, reviewers and readers so receiving such acknowledgement from them is really something.”

Translator Alex Zucker said: “What makes The Lake important is its capturing of several very real – not dystopian, as the author has pointed out – phenomena that plague our current world: climate catastrophe, the devaluation of physical labour, human beings’ disconnect from other animals and the natural world, gender-based violence, child abuse, intergenerational trauma…”

Toby Lichtig, who is ending his term as chair of judges, said: “It’s been an enormous honour to helm the EBRD Literature Prize for the past three years – and I’m delighted to finish my term by celebrating this astonishing novel. The Lake is a bewitching, beguiling, terrifying and shocking portal into a world gone wrong, a realm in which tenderness and courage come up against brutality and indifference, in which fellow-feeling and communality are undercut by self-interest and folly – and in which small gestures nonetheless keep the flame of hope alive. It is utterly propulsive, immersive and unique, and deserves to become a European classic, to be read by many generations to come.”

The two runners-up and their translators will each receive a prize of €4,000. They are “Mister N” by Najwa Barakat, originally published in Lebanon, translated from Arabic by Luke Leafgren and published by And Other Stories, and “The Books of Jacob” by Olga Tokarczuk, first published in Poland, translated from Polish by Jennifer Croft and published by Fitzcarraldo Editions.

Now in its sixth year, the EBRD Literature Prize continues to showcase outstanding literary works from countries where the Bank operates, along with their English-language translations. The Prize serves as a platform to promote cultural diversity and the richness of literary expression across regions spanning from central and eastern Europe to Central Asia, the Western Balkans, and the southern and eastern Mediterranean. It also highlights the crucial role that translators play in bridging different cultures.

Over the years, the Prize has introduced English-language readers to a diverse range of literature from countries including Albania, Croatia, the Czech Republic, Georgia, Greece, Latvia, Lebanon, Lithuania, Morocco, Poland, the Slovak Republic, Türkiye, Ukraine and Uzbekistan.

The EBRD Literature Prize is part of the Bank’s Community Initiative, which engages the institution and its staff in philanthropic, social, and cultural activities within the regions where the EBRD operates.

Submissions for the EBRD Literature Prize 2024 will open in the autumn.

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Email: press@ebrd.com

SOURCE: EBRD