The Europese Literatuurprijs [European Literature Award] for 2015 has been awarded to Een handvol sneeuw (Aller Tage Abend) by German writer Jenny Erpenbeck (https://en NULL.wikipedia NULL.org/wiki/Jenny_Erpenbeck) in the Dutch translation by Elly Schippers (http://www NULL.goethe NULL.de/ins/se/prj/uar/nie/ueb/sch/nlindex NULL.htm).

The Europese Literatuurprijs is awarded to a novel written in any of the member languages of the Council of Europe and to the Dutch translation of that novel. It has been established by the Academic Cultural Centre SPUI25 (http://www NULL.spui25 NULL.nl/), the Dutch Foundation for Literature (http://www NULL.letterenfonds NULL.nl/en/), the weekly De Groene Amsterdammer (http://www NULL.groene NULL.nl/home) and bookshop Athenaeum Boekhandel (http://www NULL.athenaeum NULL.nl/) in an effort to celebrate Europe’s literary diversity and cultural richness. The Europese Literatuurprijs is supported by Stichting Lira (http://www NULL.lira NULL.nl/), the Dutch copyright organisation for writers, translators and freelance journalists, and amounts to €15,000, with two-thirds being awarded to the writer and one third to the translator. The prize was first awarded in 2011, to Trois femmes puissantes (Drie sterke vrouwen) by Marie NDiaye and translator Jeanne Holierhoek. In 2012 the prize was awarded to The Sense of an Ending (Alsof het voorbij is) by Julian Barnes and translator Ronald Vlek, in 2013 to Limonov (Limonov) by Emmanuel Carrère and translators Katrien Vandenberghe and Katelijne de Vuyst, and in 2014 to Le sermon sur la chute de Rome (De preek over de val van Rome) by Jérôme Ferrari and translators Jan Pieter van der Sterre and Reintje Goos.

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Jenny Erpenbeck

The jury was unanimous in its decision (http://www NULL.europeseliteratuurprijs NULL.nl/2015/winnaar NULL.php) to award the 2015 prize to Een handvol sneeuw: ‘The reader is treated to a magnificent historical panorama of 20th century Europe. Sometimes you gain insights into political situations, but in every instance the narrative remains deeply personal. Erpenbeck conjures with tenses, writes in an evocative narrative style, depicts every chapter in a slightly different tone and wields a well nigh infinite variety of verbal forms to indicate time. It is only thanks to Schippers’s monumental linguistic mastery that the reader doesn’t get entangled in the web Erpenbeck so intricately weaves.’

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Elly Schippers

Writer and translator will be presented with their prizes on Saturday 5 September, 12.30 – 13.30, during the Manuscripta (http://www NULL.manuscripta NULL.nl/2015/03/11/manuscripta-2015-op-stadsfestival-zwolle/) festival in Zwolle. The ceremony is open to the public.

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