World Literary Prizes 2006

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World Literary Prizes 2006

All prizes are annual and were awarded in 2006 unless otherwise stated. Currency equivalents as of July 1, 2006, were as follows: €1 = $1.272; £1 = $1.836; Can$1 = $0.900; ¥1 = $0.009; SKr 1 = $0.138; DKr 1 = $0.171; Russian ruble = $0.037.

Nobel Prize for Literature

Awarded since 1901; included in the behest of Alfred Nobel, who specified a prize for those who "shall have produced in the field of literature the most outstanding work in an ideal direction." The prizewinners are selected in October by the Swedish Academy and receive the award on December 10 in Stockholm. Prize: a gold medal and an award that varies from year to year; in 2006 the award was SKr 10 million.

Orhan Pamuk (Turkey)

International IMPAC Dublin Literary Award

First awarded in 1996, this is the largest international literary prize; it is open to books written in any language. The award is a joint initiative of Dublin City Council, the Municipal Government of Dublin City, and the productivity-improvement company IMPAC. It is administered by Dublin City Public Libraries. Prize: €100,000, of which 25% goes to the translator if the book was not written in English, and a Waterford crystal trophy. The awards are given at Dublin Castle in May or June.

The Master by Colm Tóibín (Ireland)

Neustadt International Prize for Literature

Established in 1969 and awarded biennially by the University of Oklahoma and World Literature Today. Novelists, poets, and dramatists are equally eligible. Prize: $50,000, a replica of an eagle feather cast in silver, and a certificate.

Claribel Alegria (Nicaragua), awarded in 2006

Man Booker International Prize

This prize is awarded every other year (beginning in 2005) to a living author of fiction of any nationality who writes in English or whose work is widely translated into English for the body of his work. The prize is supported by the Man Group PLC. Winners are announced in midyear. Prize: £60,000.

Ismail Kadare (Albania), awarded in 2005

Astrid Lindgren Memorial Award for Literature

This annual award, first presented in 2003 by the government of Sweden, is given to one or more living authors who, in the words of the organizers, "in their writing have produced literature for children and young people of absolutely the highest artistic quality and in the humanistic spirit associated with Astrid Lindgren." Prize: SKr 5 million.

Katherine Paterson (U.S.)

Commonwealth Writers Prize

Established in 1987 by the Commonwealth Foundation. In 2006 there was one award of £10,000 for the best book submitted, as well as an award of £3,000 for the best first book. In each of the four regions of the Commonwealth, two prizes of £1,000 are awarded: one for the best book and one for the best first book.

Best Book The Secret River by Kate Grenville (Australia)

Best First Book Suspended Sentences: Fictions of Atonement by Mark McWatt (Guyana)

Regional winners—Best Book

Africa The Sun by Night by Benjamin Kwakye (Ghana)

Caribbean & Canada Alligator by Lisa Moore (Canada)

Eurasia On Beauty by Zadie Smith (U.K.)

Southeast Asia & South Pacific The Secret River by Kate Grenville (Australia)

Booker Prize

Established in 1969, sponsored by Booker McConnell Ltd. and, beginning in 2002, the Man Group; administered by the National Book League in the U.K. Awarded to the best full-length novel written by a citizen of the Commonwealth or the Republic of Ireland and published in the U.K. during the 12 months ended September 30. Prize: £50,000.

The Inheritance of Loss by Kiran Desai

Whitbread Book of the Year

Established in 1971. The winners of the Whitbread Book Awards for Poetry, Biography, Novel, and First Novel as well as the Whitbread Children's Book of the Year each receive £5,000, and the winner of the Whitbread Book of the Year prize receives an additional £25,000. Winners are announced in January of the year following the award.

Matisse the Master: A Life of Henri Matisse: The Conquest of Colour: 1909-1954 by Hilary Spurling (2005 award)

Orange Prize for Fiction

Established in 1996. Awarded to a work of published fiction written by a woman in English and published in the U.K. during the 12 months ended March 31. Prize: £30,000 and a bronze figurine called the "Bessie."

On Beauty by Zadie Smith (U.K.)

Frank O'Connor International Short Story Award

The prize was first awarded in 2005 and recognizes a collection of short stories in English by a living author and published in the previous 12 months. The award is organized by the Munster Literature Centre in Ireland and Cork and underwritten by the Cork City Council. Prize: €35,000, shared by the writer and the translators (if any).

Blind Willow, Sleeping Woman by Haruki Murakami (Japan)

PEN/Nabokov Award

With this award, in even-numbered years the PEN American Center recognizes a living author for his or her body of work in a variety of genres written in, or translated into, English. Named for Vladimir Nabokov and supported by the Vladimir Nabokov Foundation, the award was first presented in 2000. Prize: $20,000.

Philip Roth

PEN/Faulkner Award

The PEN/Faulkner Foundation each year recognizes the best published works of fiction by contemporary American writers. Named for William Faulkner, the PEN/Faulkner Award was founded by writers in 1980 to honour their peers. Prize: $15,000.

The March by E.L. Doctorow

Pulitzer Prizes in Letters and Drama

Begun in 1917, awarded by Columbia University, New York City, on the recommendation of the Pulitzer Prize Board for books published in the previous year. Five categories in Letters are honoured: Fiction, Biography, and General Non-Fiction (authors of works in these categories must be American citizens); History (the subject must be American history); and Poetry (for original verse by an American author). The Drama prize is for "a distinguished play by an American author, preferably original in its source and dealing with American life." Prize: $10,000 in each category.

Fiction March by Geraldine Brooks

Drama [no award]

History Polio: An American Story by David M. Oshinsky

Poetry Late Wife by Claudia Emerson

Biography American Prometheus: The Triumph and Tragedy of J. Robert Oppenheimer by Kai Bird and Martin J. Sherwin

General Non-Fiction Imperial Reckoning: The Untold Story of Britain's Gulag in Kenya by Caroline Elkins

National Book Awards

Awarded since 1950 by the National Book Foundation, a consortium of American publishing groups. Categories have varied, beginning with 3—Fiction, Nonfiction, and Poetry—swelling to 22 awards in 1983, and returning to the following 4 in 2001. Prize: $10,000 in each category.

Fiction The Echo Maker by Richard Powers

Nonfiction The Worst Hard Time: The Untold Story of Those Who Survived the Great American Dust Bowl by Timothy Egan

Poetry Splay Anthem by Nathaniel Mackey

Young People's Literature The Astonishing Life of Octavian Nothing, Traitor to the Nation, Volume One: The Pox Party by M.T. Anderson

Frost Medal

Awarded annually since 1930 by the Poetry Society of America for distinguished lifetime service to American poetry.

Maxine Kumin

Association for Library Service to Children (ALSC) Awards

The ALSC, a branch of the American Library Association (ALA), presents a series of awards each year for excellence in children's literature. The two best-established and best-known are the following:

The Newbery Medal, first bestowed in 1922 (the oldest award in the world for children's literature), honours the author of the most distinguished contribution in English to American literature for children. The award consists of a bronze medal.

Lynne Rae Perkins for Criss Cross

The Caldecott Medal, first bestowed in 1938, is awarded to the artist of the most distinguished picture book for children. The award consists of a bronze medal.

Chris Raschka for The Hello, Goodbye Window (written by Norton Juster)

Governor General's Literary Awards

Canada's premier literary awards. Prizes are given in 14 categories altogether: Fiction, Poetry, Drama, Translation, Nonfiction, and Children's Literature (Text and Illustration), each in English and French. Established in 1937. Prize: Can$15,000.

Fiction (English) The Law of Dreams by Peter Behrens

Fiction (French) La Rivière du loup by Andrée Laberge

Poetry (English) Stumbling in the Bloom by John Pass

Poetry (French) Ravir: les lieux by Hélène Dorion

Griffin Poetry Prize

Established in 2001 and administered by the Griffin Trust for Excellence in Poetry, the award honours first-edition books of poetry published during the preceding year. Prize: Can$50,000 each for the two awards.

Canadian Award Nerve Squall by Sylvia Legris

International Award Born to Slow Horses by Kamau Brathwaite (Barbados)

Büchner Prize

Georg-Büchner-Preis. Awarded for a body of literary work in the German language. First awarded in 1923; now administered by the German Academy for Language and Literature. Prize: €40,000.

Oskar Pastior (Germany; posthumous)

Hooft Prize

P.C. Hooftprijs. The Dutch national prize for literature, established in 1947. Prize: €57,000.

H.C. ten Berge

Nordic Council Literature Prize

Established in 1961. Selections are made by a 10-member jury from among original works first published in Danish, Norwegian, or Swedish during the past two years or in other Nordic languages (Finnish, Faroese, Sami, etc.) during the past four years. Prize: DKr 350,000.

Oceanen by Göran Sonnevi (Sweden)

Prix Goncourt

Prix de l'Académie Goncourt. First awarded in 1903 from the estate of French literary figure Edmond Huot de Goncourt, to memorialize him and his brother, Jules. Prize: €10.

Les Bienveillantes by Jonathan Littell

Prix Femina

Established in 1904. The awards for works "of imagination" are announced by an all-women jury in the categories of French fiction, fiction in translation, and nonfiction. Announced in November together with the Prix Médicis. Prize: Not stated

French Fiction Lignes de faille by Nancy Huston

Strega Prize

Premio Strega. Awarded annually since 1947 for the best work of prose fiction by an Italian author in the previous year. The prize is supported by the beverage company Liquore Strega and Telecom Italia. Prize: not stated.

Caos calmo by Sandro Veronesi

Cervantes Prize for Hispanic Literature

Premio Cervantes. Established in 1976 and awarded by the Spanish Ministry of Culture for a body of work in the Spanish language. Announced in December and awarded the following April. Prize: €90,000.

Antonio Gamoneda (Spain)

Planeta Prize

Premio Planeta de Novela. Established in 1951 by the Planeta Publishing House for the best unpublished, original novel in Spanish. Awarded in Barcelona in October. Prize: €600,000 and publication by Planeta.

La fortuna de Matilda Turpín by Álvaro Pombo

Camões Prize

Premio Luis da Camões da Literatura. Established in 1988 by the governments of Portugal and Brazil to honour a "representative" author writing in the Portuguese language. Prize: €100,000.

Luandino Vieira (Angola), declined

Russian Booker Prize

Awarded since 1992, the Russian Booker Prize has sometimes carried the names of various sponsors—e.g., Smirnoff in 1997-2001. In 2004 it was underwritten by the Open Russia Charitable Organization and called the Booker/Open Russia Literary Prize. Awards: $15,000 for the winner; $1,000 for each finalist.

2017 by Olga Slavnikova

Big Book Prize

Premiya Bolshaya Kniga. First given out in 2006, it is sponsored by the government of Russia and underwritten by a number of prominent businessmen, who also serve on the jury. The prize is intended to be an annual event. Awards: 3 million rubles for first prize, 1.5 million for second, and 1 million for third.

Dmitry Bykov for his biography Boris Pasternak (2005)

Naguib Mahfouz Medal for Literature

Established in 1996 and awarded for the best contemporary novel published in Arabic. The winning work is translated into English and published in Cairo, London, and New York City. Prize: $1,000 and a silver medal.

Sura wa Ayquna wa 'Ahdun Qadim ("The Image, the Icon, and the Covenant") by Sahar Khalifeh (Palestine)

Caine Prize for African Writing

The Caine Prize for African Writing is awarded annually for a short story written by an African writer and published in English. The prize is named for Sir Michael Caine, longtime chairman of Booker PLC, the publishing company, and chairman of the Booker Prize management committee for 25 years. The Caine Prize was first given out in 2000. Award: £10,000 plus a travel allowance.

Mary Watson (South Africa) for "Jungfrau"

Jun'ichiro Tanizaki Prize

Tanizaki Jun'ichiro Sho. Established in 1965 to honour the memory of novelist Jun'ichiro Tanizaki. Awarded annually to a Japanese author for an exemplary literary work. Prize: ¥1,000,000 and a trophy.

Yoko Ogawa for Mina no koshin ("Mina's Parade")

Ryunosuke Akutagawa Prize

Akutagawa Ryunosuke Sho. Established in 1935 and now sponsored by the Association for the Promotion of Japanese Literature, the prize is awarded in January and June for the best serious work of fiction by a promising new Japanese writer published in a magazine or journal. Prize: ¥1,000,000 and a commemorative gift.

"Oki de matsu" ("Waiting Offshore") by Akiko Itoyama (134th prize, second half of 2005)

"Hachigatsu no rojo ni suteru" ("Thrown Out onto the August Road") by Takami Ito (135th prize, first half of 2006)

Mao Dun Literary Award

Established in 1981 to honour contemporary Chinese novels and named after novelist Shen Yanbing (1896-1981), whose nom de plume was Mao Dun; awarded every five years. The latest awards were announced in April 2005.

Zhang Juzheng ("Chang Chü-cheng") by Xiong Zhaozheng

Wuzi ("Without Words") by Zhang Jie

Lishi de tiankong ("The Sky of History") by Xu Guixiang

Dong cang ji ("Hidden Away in the East") by Zong Pu

Yingxiong shidai ("The Era of Heroes") by Liu Jianwei

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