Elena Ferrante, Marian Keyes and Javier Marias have all been chosen to represent their countries in the Eurovision book contest.
As singer Mae Muller prepares to represent the UK in the Eurovision song contest grand final on Saturday night, Heartstopper author and illustrator Alice Oseman has been announced as the UK’s contender for the competition’s literary counterpart.
Pallati i ëndrrave by Ismail Kadare (The Palace of Dreams, translated by Barbara Bray) – ALBANIA
The Book Thief by Markus Zusak – AUSTRALIA
Дом, в котором... by Mariam Petrosyan (The Gray House, translated by Yuri Machkasov) – ARMENIA
Der Trafikant by Robert Seethaler (The Tobacconist, translated by Charlotte Collins) – AUSTRIA
The Orphan Sky by Ella Leya – AZERBAIJAN
Moi qui n’ai pas connu les hommes by Jacqueline Harpman (I Who Have Never Known Men, translated by Ros Schwartz) – BELGIUM
Uhvati zeca by Lana Bastašić (Catch the Rabbit, translated by Lana Bastašić) – CROATIA
Ανατολική Μεσόγειος by Ivi Meleagrou (Eastern Mediterranean, translated by Andrew Hendry) – CYPRUS
Nesnesitelná lehkost bytí by Milan Kundera (The Unbearable Lightness of Being, translated by Michael Henry Heim) – CZECH REPUBLIC
Kastanjemanden by Søren Sveistrup (The Chestnut Man, translated by Caroline Waight) – DENMARK
Pobeda 1946 by Ilmar Taska (Pobeda 1946: A Car Called Victory , translated by Christopher Moseley) – ESTONIA
Sommarboken by Tove Jansson (The Summer Book, translated by Thomas Teal) – FINLAND
Persepolis by Marjane Satrapi (Persepolis, translated by Anjali Singh) – FRANCE
Das achte Leben (Für Brilka) by Nino Haratischvili (The Eighth Life (for Brilka), translated by Charlotte Collins and Ruth Martin) – GEORGIA
Das Parfum by Patrick Süskind (Perfume: The Story of a Murderer, translated by John E Woods) – GERMANY
Το τρίτο στεφάνι by Costas Taktsis (The Third Wedding Wreath, translated by John Chioles) – GREECE
DNA by Yrsa Sigurdardottir – ICELAND
Rachel’s Holiday by Marian Keyes – IRELAND
Gader Haya by Dorit Rabinyan (All the Rivers, translated by Jessica Cohen) – ISRAEL
L’amica geniale by Elena Ferrante (My Brilliant Friend , translated by Ann Goldstein) – ITALY
Paisums by Inga Ābele (High Tide, translated by Kaija Straumanis) – LATVIA
Vilniaus pokeris by Ričardas Gavelis (Vilnius Poker, translated by Elizabeth Novickas) – LITHUANIA
Kulħadd ħalla isem warajh by Clare Azzopardi – MALTA
Caiet de censor by Liliana Corobca (The Censor’s Notebook, translated by Monica Cure) – MOLDOVA
De avond is ongemak by Marieke Lucas Rijneveld (The Discomfort of Evening, translated by Michele Hutchison) – THE NETHERLANDS
Perlebryggeriet by Jenny Hval (Paradise Rot, translated by Marjam Idriss) – NORWAY
Prowadź swój pług przez kości umarłych by Olga Tokarczuk (Drive Your Plow Over the Bones of the Dead, translated by Antonia Lloyd-Jones) – POLAND
Livro do Desassossego by Fernando Pessoa (The Book of Disquiet, translated by Margaret Jull Costa) – PORTUGAL
Solenoid by Mircea Cărtărescu (Solenoid, translated by Sean Cotter) – ROMANIA
Celesta by Milena Ercolani – SAN MARINO
Hazarski rečnik by Milorad Pavić (Dictionary of the Khazars: A Lexicon Novel, translated by Christina Pribicevic-Zoric) – SERBIA
Jugoslavija, moja dežela by Goran Vojnović (Yugoslavia, My Fatherland, translated by Noah Charney) – SLOVENIA
Corazón tan blanco by Javier Marías (A Heart So White, translated by Margaret Jull Costa) – SPAIN
Hundraåringen som klev ut genom fönstret och försvann by Jonas Jonasson (The 100-Year-Old Man Who Climbed Out the Window and Disappeared, translated by Rod Bradbury) – SWEDEN
Nachtzug nach Lissabon by Pascal Mercier (Night Train to Lisbon, translated by Barbara Harshav) – SWITZERLAND
Інтернат by Serhiy Zhadan (The Orphanage, translated by Reilly Costigan Humes and Isaac Stackhouse Wheeler) – UKRAINE
Heartstopper, volume one by Alice Oseman – UK
Last year’s Eurovision victors Ukraine will be represented in the book contest by Serhiy Zhadan for his novel The Orphanage, while Moomins creator Tove Jansson’s adult novel The Summer Book is the choice for Finland.
The book contest is a special project setup by the Eurovision song contest in partnership with the Hay festival, to mark the UK’s hosting of the annual music event on behalf of Ukraine.
In March, the literary festival asked the public to submit their favourite fiction from any of the 37 countries that take part in the music competition each year. Suggestions could be of any genre and language but they had to have been published in the years since Eurovision began in 1956.
The final selection of one book from each country was chosen by an expert panel, who were aiming to come up with “an ambitious reading list” of books that will “inspire, examine and entertain”.
Hay festival CEO Julie Finch said the list “celebrates the universality of the human experience and literature’s unique ability to connect us.”
“Sharing stories across borders has never felt more important,” she added. “Alongside our partnership with Ukraine’s largest book festival, Lviv BookForum, this collaboration with the Eurovision song contest celebrates the role of great literature in forging understanding and empathy globally.”
Martin Österdahl, executive supervisor of the Eurovision song contest said that the song competition “has always had storytelling and showcasing the best talent from across Europe and beyond at its core.”
“As we prepare to be ‘United By Music’ in Liverpool, we look forward to seeing Europe coming together to celebrate diversity through its rich literary heritage as well”, he said.
A special event at Hay on 2 June at 8.30pm will invite audiences to discuss the selection and an overall winner will be voted on.
Everyone who nominated a book will be entered into a draw to win some of the selected titles and a free subscription to the festival’s Hay Player archive of digital content.
This year’s Hay festival takes place from 25 May to 4 June, and the lineup includes events with Dua Lipa, Margaret Atwood, Stormzy and Tracey Emin.
