The Flemish Literature Fund supports Dutch-language literature in Belgium and abroad.
The longlist of the Libris Literature Prize includes no less than five titles by Flemish authors. A total of eighteen novels were selected from 200 entries. Along with thirteen Dutch novels, these are the Flemish contenders:
• ‘Terug naar Walden' (Back to Walden) by Walter van den Broeck
• ‘Kleine dagen' (Small days) by Bernard Dewulf
• ‘Sprakeloos' (Speechless) by Tom Lanoye
• ‘De bewaker' (The guard) by Peter Terrin
• ‘Vissen redden' (Saving fish) by Annelies Verbeke
Last year's winner was ‘Godverdomse dagen op een godverdomse bol' (Goddamn days on a goddamn globe) by Dimitri Verhulst. It had been twelve years since a Flemish author received the award: ‘De geruchten' (Rumours) by Hugo Claus won in 1997.
The shortlist will be announced on 22 March, the winner on 10 May. The prize money totals 65,000 euro, of which 50,000 goes to the winning author.
The Libris Literature Prize is awarded to the best original Dutch-language fiction book of the past year.
