Sofia Andrukhovych and translators of “Amadoka” to receive the Hermann Hesse International Prize

Ukrainian writer Sofia Andrukhovych, author of “Amadoka,” and translators Alexander Kratochvil and Maria Weissenböck will receive the Hermann Hesse International Prize.

The jury has unanimously decided to award the Hermann Hesse International Prize to Sofia Andrukhovych and translators Alexander Kratochvil and Maria Weissenböck for the German editions of “The Story of Romana” (“Die Geschichte von Romana”) and “The Story of Ulyana” (“Die Geschichte von Uljana”), which are part of the Amadoka-Epos trilogy. The third part of trilogy, “Die Geschichte von Sofia,” will be published in German by Residenz Verlag in October 2024.

According to the jury, Andrukhovych has “created a broad panorama of 20th-century Ukraine in a diverse and impressive way. Both books testify to the author’s linguistic power, ingenuity, and ambition.”

“Alexander Kratochvil and Maria Weissenböck, the translators of the novel, have masterfully reproduced the abundant linguistic nuances of “Amadoka” in their German translation. They have conveyed the historical voices and tones that dominated 100 years ago, as well as the various narrative structures — relaxed, simple or sophisticated — by the horrors of history or inspired by the ongoing search for happiness. For many years, both Kratochvil and Weissenböck have been well-known mediators between Ukrainian literature and German-speaking readers,” the jury said in a statement.

The story follows a protagonist, who after being severely injured during the Russian-Ukrainian war in the East of Ukraine, loses his memory and is left unrecognizable. Having no documents, he arrives at the clinic with total amnesia. He is found by a woman who believes he is her husband lost in the war; she then tries to help him regain his memory. The novel’s title refers to a legendary lake that, according to Herodotus, once existed in Ukraine. The Amadoka Lake was depicted by cartographers for centuries until it eventually disappeared.

The prize is one of the most renowned German literary prizes. It recognizes “a literary achievement of international standing in connection with its translation.” The prize is awarded every two years by the Hermann Hesse Foundation.

“Amadoka” is a novel by Ukrainian writer Sofia Andrukhovych, published in 2020 by the Old Lion Publishing House and designed by the Art Studio Agrafka.

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