This was announced by the foundation board in Frankfurt am Main. The author was honored “for his outstanding artistic work and for his humanitarian attitude, with which he turns to the people in the war and helps them at the risk of his life,” it said in justification.
The 47-year-old Zhadan is one of the most important voices in contemporary Ukrainian literature. According to the German Book Trade Association, he still lives in Kharkiv.
“His lyrics tell how war and destruction enter this world and shake people. In doing so, Zhadan finds his own language. Thoughtful and listening, in a poetic and radical tone, he explores how the people of Ukraine, despite all the violence, try to find an independent , to lead a life determined by peace and freedom,” says the jury’s statement.
25,000 euros endowment
Zhadan was born on August 23, 1974 in Starobilsk, Luhansk region. He studied literature, Ukrainian studies and German studies in Kharkiv and received his doctorate in 1996. He has been organizing literary festivals and publishing novels, poems, short stories and essays since the early 1990s. Since the beginning of the Russian war of aggression against Ukraine in February, he has been providing more humanitarian aid.
The Peace Prize is endowed with 25,000 euros. Personalities are honored who have contributed to the realization of the idea of peace in literature, science or art. The award will be presented at the Frankfurt Book Fair.
Source: Nachrichten
