Articles

Czech author wins European Union Prize for Literature

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A Czech author, Tomáš Zmeškal, received the European Union Prize for Literature this week for his debut novel “Love Letter in Cuneiform Script” ("Milostný Dopis Klínovým Písmem"). The prize recognizes the best new or emerging authors in the EU.

Zmeškal’s debut novel tells the story of a Prague couple, Josef and Květa. The novel is set in post-war Czechoslovakia, and continues through the collapse of communism. In the novel, Zmeškal utilizes several different styles of literature, including letters, diary, dreams, and philosophical and historic allusion.

The EU prize is organized by the European Commission, the European Booksellers Federation, European Writers’ Council and the Federation of European Publishers. The competition is open to the 36 countries involved in the EU Culture Program (the EU-27, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway, Croatia, Macedonia, Montenegro, Serbia and Turkey).