Bank Austria Literaris

P R E S S    R E L E A S E

Vienna, November 21, 2008

• Eastern and Southeastern European literature award with the highest prize money
• Award ceremony held during book fair on November 20

Staged for the second time in 2008, the Bank Austria Literaris award is a sponsorship award for literary works from Eastern and Southeastern Europe. Currently, its total prize money of 100,000 euros is the highest awarded for literature from this part of the world. This focus corresponds to the economic activities of Bank Austria, which is a part of UniCredit Group and stands as the market leader in this growth region. Above all, however, it complements the bank’s wide-ranging existing cultural partnerships. What’s more, with KulturKontakt Austria and Wieser Verlag publishers, it has teamed up with two partners who have gained extensive experience in Eastern Europe.

Chaired by Czech writer and President of the international P.E.N. Club, Jiří Gruša, the jury again discussed this year’s numerous candidates. After looking through some 800 texts, it compiled a short list of 25 titles, from which the winners of the Bank Austria Literaris 2008 were finally chosen.

And the winner of the Bank Austria Literaris 2008 is Slovakian author Agda Bavi Pain with his "Koniec sveta" (At the End of the World). Coming in second and third are Srđan Valjarević, Serbia, with "Komo" (Como), and Palmi Rancev, Bulgaria, with “Malko kasmet za po-kasno” (A Little Luck for Later). This year, a special prize for poetry was up for grabs, too. It was awarded to Slovakian poet Rudolf Jurolek for his book "Život je možný" (Life is Possible). The award ceremony was held on November 20 at the Metro Kino in Vienna.

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