An international selection committee has praised his novel Skóra po dziadku (Grandfather’s Leather), in which the author reaches out to his family’s history.
An awards ceremony will be held on Friday, December 6, in the Mont Blanc massif at the French-Italian border, at 3,466m above sea level.
According to the competition organizers, the Grand Continent Prize "is the most generous European literary award for funding the translation and dissemination of texts, with a grant of EUR 100,000 for the translation of the winning book."
The competition aims to identify the most outstanding book published in one of the five languages, French, Spanish, German, Polish and Italian that deserves the title of great European novel.
Mateusz Pakuła, 41, is a prose writer, dramatist and theater director. His literary debut Jak nie zabiłem swojego ojca i jak bardzo to żałuję (How I Didn't Kill My Father and How Much I Regret It) has won numerous awards. Its theatre version, adapted and directed by the author, has also received high acclaim.
In 2023, the Grand Continent Prize went to Polish writer Tomasz Różycki for his novel Złodzieje żarówek (Lightbulb Thieves).
The 2021 and 2022 editions of the competition were won by Roberto Calasso from Italy and Aroa Moreno Duran from Spain.
(mk)