European jury

Andreï Kurkov (born 23 April 1961 in Leningrad, Russia) is a Ukrainian novelist who writes in Russian. He is the author of more than 20 novels and 10 books for children. His work is currently translated into 42 languages, including English, Japanese, French, Chinese, Swedish and Hebrew. He has also written assorted articles for various publications worldwide including New York Times, The Guardian, New Statesman, La Liberation, Le Monde, Die Welt, Die Zeit.

From 2018 till 2022 he was acting President of PEN Ukraine, running international and national literary and socio-political projects.

For his novels, for literary and human rights activities he was awarded Halldor Laxness Prize (Iceland, 2022) “Legion d’Honeur” (France 2015), Medici Prize for Best foreign Novel (France 2022), “Freedom of Expression Award” (Index on Censorship, London 2022), “Readers’ Award” (France, 2012), Hans and Sophie Scholl Prize (Germany, 2022)  and others.

His books are full of black humour, Soviet and post-Soviet reality with elements of surrealism.

Elena Loewenthal (Turin, Italy, 1960) is a writer, journalist and translator of jewish literature. She writes for the italian newspaper “La Stampa” and since 1990 has published essays and fiction. She has lectured for many years at “Università Vita Salute – San Raffaele” in Milan and at “IUSS – Istituto Universitario di Stdui Superiori” in Pavia.Since 2020 she is the director of “Fondazione Circolo dei Lettori” in Turin, which mission is promoting and creating culture. The Fondazione is also in charge with the cultural events of the “Salone  Internazionale del Libro” in Turin.

Kostas Spatharakis was born in Athens, Greece, in 1980. He studied Law in Athens and Comparative Literature in Thessaloniki. He worked for many years as freelance translator and proofreader, and in 2014 he founded an independent publishing house, based in Athens (Antipodes).

Daniel Medin is professor of comparative literature at the American University of Paris, where he is a director of the Center for Writers and Translators and one of the editors of its Cahiers Series. He has judged numerous awards for translated fiction, among them the International Booker Prize, the HKW Internationaler Literaturpreis, and the Prix Fragonard de littérature étrangère.

Aurélie Bontout Roche is the translations manager for the French publishing Groupe Libella (Buchet Chastel, Phébus, Libretto, Noir Sur Blanc, Cahiers Dessinés) and she’s working in publishing for 20 years. Passionate for European literature, languages, culture and travels, she’s living between Paris and Bruxelles, in the heart of Europe.

Raluca Selejan (b.1988) studied Romanian and English Language and Literature at West University of Timișoara. She has an MA in Cultural Management with a diploma on Art & Literature in Unconventional Spaces. Since 2016, she is co-owning and co-managing an independent bookshop in Timișoara, La Două Bufnițe (At Two Owls).  She worked as a communications officer at the Department of Communications, Image and Institutional Marketing of West University of Timișoara and at Association Timișoara 2021 – European Capital of Culture, during the candidacy. At the bookshop, Raluca is responsible of communication, events, internships and partnerships.

Tauno Vahter (born 1978) is an Estonian publisher, translator and author. He has studied public administration and works as an editor-in-chief of Tänapäev Publishers, which is one of the biggest Estonian publishing houses. He has completed Frankfurt Bookfair fellowship programme, written many articles about literature and publishing, translated from Finnish and English. As an author he has so far published three books of fiction, which are published in several languages and also written scenario for a TV-series on Estonian history.