Danish writer Thijs Orntoft’s Jordisk (Earthly) won the 2024 European Union Literary Prize, for which Portugal’s Gabriela Ruivo was nominated for the Lei da Gravidade.
The announcement was made on Thursday evening at the Book Fair in Brussels, the capital of Belgium.
Theis Erntoft was this year’s winner, but there were also four honorable mentions: Germany’s Denise Utlu with “Vaters Meer” (“Father’s Sea”); Maria Elisabeth Bragadottir from Iceland, who wrote “Sápufuglinn” (“Soap Bird”); Shole Rezazadeh from the Netherlands with the song “Ik ken een berg die op me wacht” (“I know the mountain that awaits me”); and Slovenian Tina Vrskay, author of the book “On the Slope”.
There were 13 nominated entries for this year’s competition, selected from more than 41 countries.
“Lei da Gravidade” was published by Porto Editora.
European Commissioner for Culture Iliana Ivanova believes that the winners nominated from all countries participating in the competition demonstrate the importance of the EU continuing to support literature in its development and dissemination.
The President of the Federation of European Publishers, Ricardo Franco Levy, congratulated the Danish author and acknowledged that the European Union Literary Prize is an opportunity for all candidates to present their work to readers who usually do not know their work, namely from other countries: “I hope you will take advantage of the opportunities that will appear in the next few months.”
“Land,” the award-winning book, is Erntoft’s second novel, which his publisher defines as “a far-reaching tale of love and work, nature and capitalism, gold, silver, oil, and the slow disappearance of the West.” about “three generations of a family connected in time and space” and everything they don’t know.
Thais Orntoft, 40, made his debut in 2009 with the poetry Yeah Suiten, a book that won him several awards for revelation in his country. Five years later, he confirmed the expectations with Poems 2014.
The author is not published in Portugal, but the protagonist of his debut novel Sunny, published in 2018, takes his name Theis and crosses Europe by train from Denmark to Portugal, where Albufeira becomes the scene of their small crimes and great vices.
Author: Lusa
Source: CM Jornal
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