Georgia’s Saba literary award winners to be unveiled at Frankfurt Book Fair
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Visitors of this year’s principal international book fair in Frankfurt will be the first to learn about winners of Georgia’s annual Saba Literary Prize.
The live event will showcase the recipients of various prizes handed out by organisers of the major local contest.
Hosted at the prominent Medieval Emperor’s Hall — the Kaisersaal — of the city, the ceremony will also be broadcast live for audience in Georgia.
Georgian National Book Centre Director Medea Metreveli with a symbolic gift marking the Guest of Honour status for Georgia at last year's Frankfurt Book Fair. Photo: Georgia Made by Characters/Facebook.
It will mark the status of Georgia as the official Guest of Honour of the Frankfurt Book Fair, with the organisers of the country’s representation at the event celebrating the selection with an augmented program.
This year’s Saba awards will honour winners in the following 10 categories:
- Novel of the Year
- Prose Collection of the Year
- Poetry Collection of the Year
- Essay and Documentary Prose of the Year
- Debut of the Year
- Georgian Translation of Foreign Work of the Year
- Foreign Translation of Georgian Work of the Year
- Foreign Review of Georgian Literature of the Year
- Foreign Publisher of Georgian Literature of the Year
- Award for Contribution to Georgian-German Literary Relations
Organisers have opened submission for the categories, with deadline of February 20. A shortlist from the received works will be unveiled in July, before the winners are awarded in Frankfurt in October.
Georgia took over as Guest of Honour of the fair at the conclusion of the event in October 2017.
The program for promoting the country’s literature for this year’s fair also includes the first ever participation of a Georgian author in a literary section of the Berlinale Film Festival later this month.
Hosted in cooperation with the Frankfurt fair, the event will see Dato Turashvili, two-time Saba-winning author, in a pitching session of his book Another Amsterdam during the festival’s co-production market.
Established in 2003, the Saba Literary Prize will mark its 16th edition this year.
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Award-winning author Dato Turashvili will become the first Georgian writer to be featured at a literary section of the Berlinale Film Festival next month, after his work was selected among a dozen books for the event.
Georgia has been officially handed the status of the Guest of Honour of the Frankfurt Book Fair on the final day of the major international book event, as the country begins gearing up to bear the title at next year's fair.
Winners of Georgia’s leading literary contest have been announced, honouring authors, translators and critics for their efforts in developing the country's literature.
Works by two of the most celebrated women poets from Georgia will soon become available to readers in English, with poetry by Salome Benidze and Diana Anphimiadi selected for publishing in the United Kingdom.
Celebrated authors, publishers and a Frankfurt Book Fair delegation will make an anniversary edition of Tbilisi International Book Fair a highlight literary event in Georgia.
A unique edition of the famous Georgian poem The Knight in the Panther’s Skin by Shota Rustaveli will be displayed at the Frankfurt Book Fair for one day on 9 October, which was the initiative of Georgian Prime Minister Mamuka Bakhtadze.
Following Georgia's successful representation at this year's Frankfurt Book Fair as the official guest of honour, the country's literature and culture will ho under spotlight at the Paris counterpart event in 2021.