The award aims to help the works of authors from Eastern European countries to reach a wider audience in the German speaking world and thus to draw attention to the wide array of literary voices in this region. Starting from 2006, the award will be distributed on a bi-annual basis.
Three partners with extensive experience in the Eastern European area have teamed together to create the Eastern European Literature Award:
Ranking as the leading banking group in Central and Eastern Europe, Bank Austria Creditanstalt has contributed significantly to the economic integration in this region.
KulturKontakt Austria stands as the foremost institution serving as a mediator of culture between East and West.
Wieser Publishing House has a long-standing reputation as a „specialist in Eastern European Literature“.
For the first time, the Eastern European Literature Award encompasses ten Central and Eastern Europe countries. It is also the first initiative to offer an extensive overview of the contemporary literary scene in this region.
At this year’s Frankfurt Book Fair, the newly established award will be presented to the public in the presence of representatives of the sponsors and the management of the Frankfurt Book Fair. In December 2006, the Eastern European Literature Award will be staged for the first time. An international panel chaired by the President of the international PEN and Director of the Diplomatic Academy Vienna, Jiøi Gru¹a, will select the prizewinner.
HVB Bank Romania is a member of HVB Group, one of the most important financial institutions in Europe. Within HVB Group, Bank Austria Creditanstalt is responsible for the entire activity in the Central and Eastern Europe, coordinating the largest network in the region, of over 1,000 branches in 11 countries. HVB Bank Romania is the legal successor of Bank Austria Creditanstalt, a bank which has been operating in Romania since September 1998. At present, the bank serves 45,000 clients, through its 14 branches opened in some of the most important cities in Romania: Bucharest, Timisoara, Oradea, Cluj, Brasov, Constanta, Sibiu, Arad, Ploiesti and Iasi.
