Serhij Zhadan awarded Peace Prize of the German Book Trade 2022
© Ekko von Schwichow
The Ukrainian writer, poet, translator and musician Serhij Zhadan is this year’s recipient of the Peace Prize of the German Book Trade!
The award ceremony took place on October 23 in Frankfurt and was broadcast live on German public television. The Peace Prize has been awarded since 1950 and is endowed with a sum of €25,000.
The Board of the Friedenspreis des Deutschen Buchhandels stated:
We honour this Ukrainian author and musician for his outstanding artistic work as well as for his unequivocal humanitarian stance, which repeatedly motivates him to risk his own life to help people affected by war and thus to call greater attention to their plight.
In his novels, essays, poems and lyrics, Serhij Zhadan introduces us to a world that has experienced radical change yet continues to live on tradition. His stories illustrate how war and destruction enter into this world and turn people’s lives upside down. Throughout his entire oeuvre, he uses a unique language that provides us with a vivid and differentiated portrait of the reality that many of us chose to disregard for far too long.
Thoughtfully and with the precision of a true listener, in a poetic and radical tone, Serhij Zhadan reveals how the people of Ukraine defy the violence around them, striving instead to lead independent lives rooted in peace and freedom.
Serhij Zhadan, who was born on August 23, 1974 in Starobilsk, Luhansk Oblast, in the former Soviet Republic of Ukraine, is one of the most important, innovative and best-known voices in contemporary Ukrainian literature. After the Russian invasion of Ukraine in late February 2022, he stepped up his own efforts to provide humanitarian aid to the affected regions. His books are translated in thirteen languages and are published by Voland in Italy.
