International Literature Award (2009)

from Haus der Kulturen der Welt accessed 10/07/09

International Literature Award - Haus der Kulturen der Welt: The Prize-winners

The prize–winners of the International Literature Award – Haus der Kulturen der Welt 2009 have been named: The Peruvian writer Daniel Alarcón and Friederike Meltendorf are the first winners of the prize awarded by the Haus der Kulturen der Welt, Berlin, and Stiftung Elementarteilchen. Alarcón, who lives in the USA, won the 25,000 Euro prize for his debut novel “Lost City Radio” (Wagenbach Verlag). 10,000 Euros go to Friederike Meltendorf for her translation of the novel from American English.

The prize will be awarded for the first time, and in the presence of the prize-winners, at the Haus der Kulturen der Welt on the evening of the 30 September 2009 .

Shortlist for 2009 in alphabetical order

Alarcón, Daniel: Lost City Radio -- Winner!
Doulatabadi, Mahmud: Der Colonel
Hage, Rawi: Als ob es kein Morgen gäbe
Hemon, Aleksandar: Lazarus
Kohan, Martín: Zweimal Juni
Mengestu, Dinaw: Zum Wiedersehen der Sterne(The Beautiful Things That Heaven Bears)

Longlist 2009
Abad, Héctor; Brief an einen Schatten
Adiga, Aravind: Der weiße Tiger (The White Tiger)
Alarcón, Daniel: Lost City Radio
Blacklaws, Troy: Malindi (Karoo Boy)
Diaz, Junot: Das kurze wundersame Leben des Oscar Wao (The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao)
Doulatabadi, Mahmud: Der Colonel
Galgut, Damon: Der Betrüger (The Impostor)
Hage, Rawi: Als ob es kein Morgen gäbe (De Niro’s Game)
Hanif, Mohammed: Eine Kiste explodierender Mangos (A Case of Exploding Mangos)
Hemon, Aleksandar: Lazarus (The Lazarus Project)
Kohan, Martín: Zweimal Juni
Mengestu, Dinaw: Zum Wiedersehen der Sterne(The Beautiful Things That Heaven Bears)
Plascencia, Salvador: Menschen aus Papier (The People of Paper)
Rahimi, Atiq: Stein der Geduld

Every year from now on, the highly endowed literature prize will be awarded to new works of contemporary international literature and their translations. The award has two aims: to draw attention to contemporary literature across the globe and to pay tribute to the mediatory role played by literary translators. The International Literature Prize aims to heighten people's awareness of outstanding and extraordinary new works of international literature.