Five other Belgian writers were nominated for that prize: Anne Provoost, Pieter Aspe, Serge Delaive, François Emmanuel et Régine Vandamme. Belgium was the guest of honour at the festival "European literature" in Cognac. The Reader's Prize was part of the programme. The festival was supported by more than forty libraries in the region of Cognac.
On the award ceremony, about hundred and fifty readers were present, each of which had read the six nominated books. They could ask questions to the authors. Stefan Brijs was their favourite, and his translator Daniel Cunin was also applauded.
The French edition of 'De engelenmaker' ('Le faiseur d'anges') is one of the eleven translations of the book by Stefan Brijs. It was succesful in Belgium, gaining both the Gouden Uil Publieksprijs and the Vijfjaarlijkse prijs van de Koninklijke Academie voor Taal-en Letterkunde. The novel begins with the return of doctor Victor Hoppe to his ancient village Wolfheim, after an absence of nearly twenty years. He brings along a strange, deformed triplet of a couple of weeks old, and that creates a feeling of anxiety in the village.
Stefan Brijs is currently writing his next book, 'Post for missus Bromley' ('Post voor mevrouw Bromley'), in which the action is set in the first World War.
