The first winner of the International Literary Prize ‘Aleksandar Tišma’ is the Hungarian writer László Darvasi for his book of short stories Wintermorgen (Gott. Heimat. Familie) which was published in German (Suhrkamp Verlag, Berlin 2016). ‘Akademska knjiga’, the publisher who has published complete works of Aleksandar Tišma, will publish the winning book in Serbian.

The jury consisting of Ilma Rakusa (President of the Jury), György Konrád, Peter Handke, Vladislava Gordić Petković and Mathias Énard chose Darvasi with the following justification:

‘This is the first time that the International Literary Prize ‘Aleksandar Tišma’ is being awarded and its first recipient is Hungarian writer László Darvasi (born in 1962) who is being presented with the award for his book of short stories Wintermorgen (Gott. Heimat. Familie) . In his 35 novellas Darvasi writes about damaged family relationships, poverty and social neglect, racial prejudice, crime, tragic accidents and mysterious events that derail everyday life. Whoever his characters are: young people, disabled people, musicians or fathers and sons, all Darvasi’s characters are caught in some kind of nostalgic inconsolability, the absurdity of which at times reminds us of Kafka. The author is a virtuoso when it comes to depicting his characters‘ emotions and actions thus creating, with suggestive power, the nightmarish worlds that both shock and fascinate. The magic of Darvasi’s language can transcend even the most horrible situations. That is what makes his book a unique reading experience.‘

The prize comprises a plaque and a cash prize of 10.000 Euros which will be presented to the author on 24th June 2019 in Novi Sad.