Verhaeghen, who lives and works in the United States, announced that he would donate his prize to the American Civil Liberties Union, as a protest against American foreign policy. The author had already been honoured for 'Omega Minor' in his native country when, in 2005, he was awarded the Flemish Community's Culture Prize as well as the F. Bordewijk Prize. The book was also nominated for the Dutch Golden Owl Prize (Gouden Uil).
'Omega Minor' has had several editions since its debut in 2004. For the occasion, a new release with a brand new cover was presented following the award ceremony on May 8th. In 2007, the novel was first published in English under the same title, with the support of the Flemish Literature Fund. A German translation was published in 2006 and a French one is in the works, again, in both cases, with the financial support of the Flemish Literature Fund.
The Independent established the Independent Foreign Fiction Prize in 1990. The award spotlights foreign fiction in translation. The objective of the prize is to make publishers in the UK's literary sector aware that high-quality fiction is also being written outside the borders of the English language. The initiative has been supported by the Arts Council England since 2001.
Antonia Byatt, director of Literature Strategy at the English Arts Council said about 'Omega Minor', ‘I am delighted Paul Verhaeghen has won the Independent Foreign Fiction Prize. It is a highly ambitious novel which tackles some of the major issues of our time. He deserves such recognition in England, not only for his remarkable writing but also for his huge achievement in translating his own work'.
The IFFP Shortlist 2008 included the following titles:
- Pawel Huelle, 'Castorp' (Antonia Lloyd-Jones; Polish; Serpent's Tail)
- Daniel Kehlmann, 'Measuring the World' (Carol Brown Janeway; German; Quercus)
- Marlene van Niekerk, 'The Way of the Women' (Michiel Heyns; Afrikaans; Little, Brown)
- Bengt Ohlsson, 'Gregorius' (Silvester Mazzarella; Swedish; Portobello)
- Paul Verhaeghen, 'Omega Minor' (the author; Dutch; Dalkey Archive Press)
