Book by Ukrainian Writer Kourkov Wins French Prize for Best European Novel
Ukrainian writer Andrei Kourkov has won the French Transfuge literary prize for his book 'Notre guerre quotidienne' (Our Daily War). He announced this on his Facebook page.
‘The Transfuge Prize (Paris, France) for the best European book! Thank you!!!’ the author wrote.
‘'Notre guerre quotidienne' is the second volume of the “Diaries of Ukraine during the Russian aggression”. The first volume was published under the title The Invasion Journal.
On the website of the Noir sur blanc publishing house, which published the book in France, it is called an ‘exceptional text’.
‘Ten years after the annexation of Crimea, two years after the invasion of Ukraine, Kourkov shows Russia's attempts for several centuries to destroy Ukrainian culture, that is, the culture of a people determined to turn to Europe. He talks about the extreme stress of residents in the face of air raids, the deportation of citizens from the occupied regions, the shameless corruption of some members of the Ukrainian government, the role of Zelenskyy, crowdfunding to support the army and Halloween celebrations. Kourkov shows us the everyday life of people at war. A sometimes absurd daily life marked by resistance, solidarity and unwavering determination. Written in a biting tone, sometimes tragic, sometimes humorous, always sincere, 'Notre guerre quotidienne' allows us to better understand the stakes of the conflict and how the Ukrainian people live it day by day,’ the book's synopsis reads.
The book will be available in France in February.
The Transfuge Prize, launched by the magazine of the same name in 2015, is awarded annually in various categories. The book 'Notre guerre quotidienne' by Andrei Kourkov won the award in the category of the best European novel.
In 2023, Andrei Kourkov's novel 'Grey Bees' won the Foreword INDIES Book of the Year award from the American magazine Foreword Reviews. It won in the Editors' Choice category among works of fiction.