Nominations for the Libris Literary Prize
At the beginning of this week, the jury of the Libris Literary Prize announced its nominations for this year’s prize. Established names such as Arnon Grunberg (Tirza) and Tom Lanoye (Het derde huwelijk, The Third Marriage) were present as expected, while the selection of Gerbrand Bakker (Boven is het stil, It Is Silent Up There) and Sana Valiulina (Didar & Faroek) was also predictable. The inclusion of the novels by Louis van Dievel (De Pruimelaarstraat, Plumtree Street) and L.H. Wiener (De verering van Quirina T., The Worship of Quirina T.), however, is striking.
The writer L.H. Wiener is primarily known for the merit of his short stories. He received the F. Bordewijk Prize for his novel entitled Nestor (2002), but this is the first time that he has been nominated for one of the major literary awards. Louis van Dievel’s De Pruimelaarstraat, about the sex-murderer Stafke van Eyken, completely escaped the notice of the Dutch critics, but this nomination will undoubtedly mean a sharp reversal of this situation. The winner will be announced at a dinner in the Amstel Hotel in Amsterdam on 7 May. The disclosure of the winner will be followed live on TV, in the programme NOVA.