European Prize in Literature

[Stewart]

Thanks to the Literary Saloon for bringing this one up.

From the website of the European Commission's Culture Office:

Books and literature play a special role in culture and in helping people to learn about others. Beyond the support being provided for the translation of literary works, however, little is being done at European level to promote literature. This prize aims to put the spotlight on the wealth of contemporary literature (fiction) created in Europe.

The aim of the call for proposals which will be published in 2008 is to select a body capable of organising the award of a European Union prize for literature in 2009. This body could also be in charge of the subsequent prizes (2010 to 2013), on an annual basis, with the explicit agreement of the European Commission.

The body in charge of the prize will select new European talents in the field of contemporary literature (fiction) from all the countries participating in the Culture Programme and promote them in participating countries outside their own.

It will also appoint a well-known personality from the field of European literature to take on the role of Ambassador for this prize. This person will be chosen independently of residency and/or nationality considerations.
This person's role will be to support and promote the new talents.

Furthermore, the selected body will organise an award ceremony for these prizes which puts the spotlight on this initiative and its European dimension.

There's also details on proposals and submission info here.

Well, this certainly looks promising. It may well produce ongoing answers to Eric's question about what has contemporary European fiction done wrong?.

[Eric]

It's all a good idea, but I'm rather afraid that momentum will be lost in a huge orgy of bureaucracy. The danger is also that countries will field lowest common denominator books which fit into a kind of EuroLit slot.

As there are so many languages involved, the task of translation, so that judges can get a fair look at particular books, will be huge. Because for someone to judge a book fairly, they really ought to be able to have access to it in their mother-tongue.

Another problem is that there are always pushy people who know how to get their novel or whatever selected. (This already occurs with so many prizes at national level.)

People appear to be mesmerised by prizes, awards and competitions. In my opinion, what is needed much more is the sensible and sensitive promotion of literature, especially in such introverted countries as the UK. An award tend to focus on the winner and the runners up from the shortlist. What is needed is the education of readers right across the board, so they can discover what is available from various parts of Europe.

Such education is done more effectively by more limited initiatives, such as the promotion of Czech literature by Waterstones, linking up with Twisted Spoon and other presses.

Another angle: what effect will Verhaeghen's win have on the promotion of Belgian literature as a whole in the UK and the USA? I doubt if there will be a knock-on effect, given the fact that many people will find Verhaeghen unreadable and therefore extrapolate, without reading any further literature from Belgium, that those bloody Belgs all write incomprehensible Continental stuff.

Nor do we need another "personality", like Brigitte Bardot for baby seals, to give literature a celebrity face, as Ambassador. This too is a typically Eurocratic way of thinking.

It will all end up as jobs for the boys, with those who are best at manœuvring themselves into positions of power deciding upon the Eurocanon for Literature.

To sum up, I see a lot of hidden reefs in this project which, on the surface of it, is a good one.