On March 21st, 2020, we’ll find out who won the 2020 European Poet of Freedom Literary Award of the City of Gdańsk. This event will mark the end of the 10-year-old publishing series, through which the City Culture Institute has introduced Polish readers to most recent European poetry. A total of 46 poetry volumes from all over Europe have been published. The most recent ones, from Bosnia and Herzegovina, Montenegro, Georgia, Ireland, Luxembourg, Lithuania, Latvia and Malta, are already on sale.
“The European Poet of Freedom Literary Award of the City of Gdańsk is a special distinction – aimed to support European poetry, this particularly important, albeit often neglected medium,” says Tadeusz Dąbrowski from the Programme Board of the EPF 2020 Festival.
The shortlisted poetry volumes are submitted by eminent literary translators, thanks to whom we get to know amazing authors and their countries, but also new cultural contexts of our European community. The European Poet of Freedom Festival, during which poets and their translators will present the shortlisted volumes, will take place on March 19th-22nd, 2020 in Gdańsk.
The latest publications in the European Poet of Freedom series: “Ježene kožice” (Goosebumps), Dako Cvijetić (Bosnia and Herzegovina), transl. into Polish by Miłosz Waligórski; “Crno igralište” (Black Pitch), Balša Brković (Montenegro), transl. into Polish by Agnieszka Schreier; “შენთვის შეიძლება” (Only You Are Allowed), Zviad Ratiani (Georgia), transl. into Polish by Magda Nowakowska; “On Balance”, Sinéad Morrissey (Ireland), transl. into Polish by Magda Heydel; “Aprés le tremblement” (After the Earthquake), Jean Portante (Luxembourg), transl. into Polish by Wawrzyniec Brzozowski; “Štai:” (Here Is:), Agnė Žagrakalytė (Lithuania), transl. into Polish by Agnieszka Rebiałkowska; “Lieldienas” (Easter), Inga Gaile (Latvia), transl. into Polish by Agnieszka Smarzewska; “Erbgħim Jum” (Forty days), Antoine Cassar (Malta), transl. into Polish by Zuzanna Gawron.
The European Poet of Freedom Literary Award of Gdańsk was established to support and promote European poetry. Each edition of the competition features shortlisted poets and authors from eight European countries. The shortlisted volumes are selected by members of the Award Committee from among proposals submitted by translators. Then, each volume is meticulously translated and published. During the Festival, which accompanies the award ceremony, the public has an opportunity to get to know the shortlisted authors in person and meet their translators. The main prize, awarded during the event, is PLN 100,000 for the poet and PLN 20,000 for the translator.
A new, revamped programme of the European Poet of Freedom Festival will be prepared by the Programme Board: Weronika Janeczko, Barbara Klicka and Tadeusz Dąbrowski. As usual, festivalgoers will be able to take part in passionate debates, meet-the-author events and poetry soirées with poems read in their original languages.
Award Jury: Krzysztof Czyżewski – chairman, Paweł Huelle, Zbigniew Mikołejko, Stanisław Rosiek, Anda Rottenberg, Beata Stasińska, Olga Tokarczuk and secretary Andrzej Jagodziński (who does not take part in the vote).
EPF 2020 volumes may be purchased in CCI’s seat at 39/40 Długi Targ and online, by writing to the following address: piotr.mielcarek@ikm.gda.pl. They are also available from selected online bookstores.
The publication of “Only You Are Allowed” by Zviad Ratani’s and “Goosbumps” by Darko Cvijetić was co-funded by the Ministry of Culture and National Heritage from the Cultural Promotion Fund.