Nana Ekvtimishvili's debut novel in EBRD Literature Prize longlist
Ekvtimishvili's work is in the longlist alongside nine other books from Eastern Europe and the Balkans. Photo via EBRD.
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Author and film director Nana Ekvtimishvili's debut novel The Pear Field is in the longlist for the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development's 2021 Literature Prize.
The book, which recently reached English-language readers with an online launch, is one of 10 works selected from regions where EBRD has operations for representing "outstanding works of storytelling".
In the longlist along with works from Eastern Europe and the Balkan region, The Pear Field brings to the selection its 18-year-old protagonist Lela, who lives in a school for intellectually disabled children.
Through a look at her character, Ektvimishvili introduces to readers a view on life on the margins of society in the unforgiving post-Soviet transformation in Georgia, inspired by childhood memories from the author.
A description of the novel for the UK launch event in November said it was "[i]nterspersing vivid snapshots from Lela’s past with the turbulent present" and paint[ing] an unflinching picture of post-Soviet Georgian life".
Translated from Georgian by Elizabeth Heighway, The Pear Feld was published by Peirene Press for its introduction to English-speaking literature enthusiasts.
It boasts a full sweep of awards from the Georgian scene, with the Saba Award, Iliauni Literary Award and the Litera Prize since its original publication in 2015 by Sulakauri Publishing.
The next phase for EBRD Literature Prize will be the selection of finalists from the longlist on May 3, with the ultimate winner to be announced later the same month.
A collection of works by over a dozen women poets from Georgia is being prepared for introduction to French-speaking readers in Europe and Canada, with the anthology featuring some of the highlights from the local literary scene.
Some of the most recognised Georgian authors of the recent years will be introduced to English-language audiences via Georgia's Fantastic Tavern: Where Europe Meets Asia - an online festival that will also explore music and cuisine from the country.
Author and filmmaker Nana Ekvtimishvili's debut novel The Pear Field is one of three finalists of the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development's 2021 Literature Prize, after the juries narrowed down a longlist of 10 works unveiled in March.
Author and filmmaker Nana Ekvtimishvili's award-winning debut novel The Pear Field has been named by The Calvert Journal among the publication's top 10 books from Eastern Europe this year.
Award-winning author and film director Nana Ekvtimishvili will join an online launch of her celebrated debut novel The Pear Field, hosted by publishers Peirene Press and The Book Hive bookstore of Norwich on Wednesday.
Author and film director Nana Ekvtimishvili is in the longlist for this year's International Booker Prize, presented as "the leading literary award in the English speaking world", for her debut novel The Pear Field.
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