Prize of the Houses of Literature
The network of literature houses, of which the Literaturhaus Villa Clementine is a member, has awarded the Prize of the Houses of Literature 2024 to Fiston Mwanza Mujila. Born in Lubumbahi in 1981, he has lived and worked in Graz for many years, writes poetry, prose and plays and teaches literature from African countries.
He received numerous awards for his debut novel "Tram 83", published in 2016, including the Internationaler Literaturpreis - Haus der Kulturen der Welt. Most recently, "Tanz der Teufel" was published in 2022, both by Zsolnay.
In his novels, Fiston Mwanza Mujila brings African (big city) life into the text - one time it is the legendary club "Tram 83", the other time it is mines, among other things, where people work in undignified conditions. It's about chaos, war and dictatorship - and people's lives and survival. The texts are infused with rhythm and music, and his stage performances are also sensational: he reads his texts, he lives them - screams, shouts, laments, whispers or sings. At the same time, he gives intelligent and approachable information about his writing, seeks conversation and exchange - and is able to win over the audience in a short space of time.
The program directors of the literature houses associated in the network honor Fiston Mwanza Mujila as an author who has rendered outstanding services to the unique character of literary events.
The prize is endowed with 20,000 euros and was awarded on March 22, 2024 as part of an event at the Leipzig Book Fair. On Wednesday, April 17, the author was a guest at the Literaturhaus Villa Clementine.
Special prize from the network of literature houses
The Slavicist and translator Claudia Dathe, born in 1971, received the 2024 Special Prize of the Network of Houses of Literature. She was honored for her outstanding translations from Russian and Ukrainian, for example of Serhij Zhadan, Yevgenia Belorusets or Tanja Maljartschuk, but above all for her knowledgeable and committed communication of Ukrainian culture, especially literature, throughout the German-speaking world.
While she coordinates the joint research project European Times at the Faculty of Cultural Studies at the European University Viadrina in Frankfurt an der Oder, she has been one of the most committed organizers of a wide range of events on contemporary Ukrainian literature since the Russian annexation of Crimea. The prize is endowed with 7,500 euros.