Ukrainian author wins Austrian State Prize for Literature for the first time
Ukrainian writer, musician, volunteer and serviceman Serhii Zhadan has been awarded the 2025 Austrian State Prize for European Literature. The award is presented by Austria’s Federal Ministry for Housing, Arts, Culture, Media and Sport. This marks the first time a Ukrainian author has received this honour.
Source: Austria’s Federal Ministry for Housing, Arts, Culture, Media and Sport
Quote from Minister Andreas Babler: "Serhii Zhadan gives literary voice to the horror of war and to the invisible, all-encompassing fear. He gives the people of Ukraine their voice and individuality back, which they risk losing in the face of Russian aggression. His work expresses what everyday language cannot. It possesses the literary power necessary to bear witness and offer hope in times of war and terror."
Details: The Austrian State Prize for European Literature has been awarded since 1965 for the literary work of a European author whose writing has received significant international recognition and translations into other languages. Eligible works must be available in German. The prize includes a monetary award of €25,000.
Zhadan studied German literature and earned a doctoral degree focused on Ukrainian futurism. He has been a leading figure in Kharkiv’s youth and cultural scene since 1991.
He made his literary debut at the age of 17 and has since published twelve poetry collections and seven novels. In 2014, he won the Jan Michalski Prize for Literature and the Brücke Berlin Prize for his novel The Invention of Jazz in Donbas (Voroshilovgrad in Ukrainian), which the BBC later named Book of the Decade.
In 2022, Zhadan was awarded the Peace Prize of the German Book Trade. In 2023, he was made an honorary professor of philosophy at the Ukrainian Free University in Munich.
In early June 2024, Zhadan officially confirmed that he had joined the National Guard of Ukraine. In addition to his military service, he remains active as a volunteer, raising funds for equipment for Ukrainian forces and performing at benefit concerts.
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