Shortlist for the "Hliniany Viales" Literary Award Announced: Not a Single Book from Belarus
The finalists for one of Belarus's oldest independent literary awards have been announced. The shortlist for the Society of Free Writers' award for 2025 includes nine books, covering almost all genres—from novels and plays to experimental poetry. A distinctive feature of this year's selection is that all nominated books were published outside the country.
The chairman of the award's organizing committee, writer Ales Arkush, as reported by Reform.news, noted that this year's list of finalists covered practically all major literary genres: there are two novels, a collection of short stories, a book of plays, reportage and essayistic prose, as well as three poetry collections.
List of finalists:
- Zmitser Vishnyov — "I am the meat that Zmitser cooked" (novel, Skaryna Press, London).
- Aliaksandr Karnyaŭkh — "Cold Lands" (novel, Gutenberg Publisher, Krakow).
- Siarhei Kavalyou — "Comedy of Judith" (plays, Kamunikat, Bialystok).
- Hanna Kandratsiuk — "Simply from Love. Reporter's Portraits of Memory" (reportage prose, Center of Belarusian Culture in Bialystok).
- Vanda Martins dos Reis — "Secrets of the High Court" (poetry, bilingual book, Slinktys, Vilnius).
- Uladzimir Stsepan — "Vaŭka" (short stories, Mianie niama, Warsaw).
- Siarhei Sys — "Migratory Grass" (essays/prose, Lohvinau, Vilnius).
- Yulya Tsimafeyeva — "I Cut History With Myself" (Ich zerschneide die Geschichte) (poetry and collages, bilingual collection, Edition Frölich, Berlin).
- Maks Shchur — "Tea Collection" (post-poetry, SayBeat, Warsaw).
Ales Arkush highlighted this year's distinct feature: all books on the shortlist were published exclusively abroad. Moreover, for the first time among the nominees, there are publications released by foreign, non-Belarusian publishing houses, such as the books by Vanda Martins dos Reis and Yulya Tsimafeyeva.
The "Hliniany Viales" Award was established in 1993 and is presented for the best Belarusian-language fiction book of the year. The winner traditionally receives a clay idol of the patron of arts.
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