Ukrainian novel «Ask Miechka» was nominated for the European Union Literary Prize

Evgenia Kuznetsova’s novel «Ask Miechka» was nominated for the European Union Prize for Literature. This was reported on the EUPL website.

For two months, a working group of independent book market experts convened by the Ukrainian Book Institute worked to decide on the nominee from Ukraine.

«It was important that the text not only met the selection criteria, but also showed Ukrainian culture in a European context in a form understandable to foreign readers. We believe that we managed to choose a worthy nominee from Ukraine – Eugenia Kuznetsova and her novel «Ask Miechka». The author is a researcher, analyst and translator. This experience is noticeable in her multi-layered book, which contains many important messages woven into a moving and sensual text», – said the participants of the working group.

According to them, the novel «Ask Miechka» is an analysis of the changing gender roles in Ukraine over the past century, which reflects the development of women’s emancipation and demonstrates how social and political changes have shaped the country and its people.

«This novel emphasizes that the sentimental paradise, so easily found by the book’s heroines, is in fact very fragile and in the current geopolitical situation is in constant danger of being lost», – said experts from the working group.

It should be noted that the nominees from other countries for the EUPL award in 2022 are:

• Austria: Peter Karoshi, ‘Zu den Elefanten’, Publisher: Leykam Verlag;

• Bosnia and Herzegovina: Slađana Nina Perković, ‘U Jarku’, Publisher: Imprimatur;

• Belgium: Gaea Schoeters, ‘Trofee’, Publisher: Uitgeverij Querido;

• Georgia: Iva Pezuashvili, ‘A garbage chute’, Publisher: Intellect;

• Greece: Takis Kampylis, ‘General Symptoms’, Publisher: Kastaniotis;

• Ireland: Tadhg Mac Dhonnagain, ‘Madame Lazare’, Publisher: Futa Fata;

• Italy: Daniele Mencarelli, ‘Semper tornare’, Publisher: Mondadori;

• Lithuania: Tomas Vaiseta, ‘Ch.’, Publisher: Baltos lankos; 

• Northern Macedonia: Vladimir Jankovski, ‘Hidden Desires, Restless Travels’, Publisher: Anthology;

• Norway: Kjersti Anfinnsen, ‘Moments for eternity’, Publisher: Kolon forlag;

• Romania: Raluca Nagy, ‘Cléo from 5 to 7’, Publisher: Nemira;

• Slovakia: Richard Pupala, ‘Women and men, animals’, Publisher: Lindeni;

• Spain: Jacobo Bergareche, ‘Perfect days’, Publisher: Libros del Asteroide.

The winner will be announced on April 21 during the opening ceremony of the Paris Book Fair. All nominated authors will be promoted in Europe to reach as large an international audience as possible and to strengthen links between readers beyond their national and linguistic borders.

The European Union Prize for Literature is an annual initiative founded in 2009 that recognizes outstanding authors of fiction in the countries participating in the European Union’s Creative Europe programme. This award aims to highlight the richness and diversity of contemporary European literature, as well as to draw attention to the continent’s unique cultural and linguistic heritage.

It should be noted that in 2019 Halyna Shiyan won the EUPL Literary Prize for her novel «Behind Her Back».