Much of Tuckova’s work opens up little-known historical and social topics, helping raise public awareness of these issues. Photo credit: Moravská zemská knihovna, via Facebook.
Prague, Oct 23 (CTK) – Czech writer Katerina Tuckova, a Brno native whose work closely documents the city, has received the State Literature Prize for this year. The jury credited her novel White Water, but also took into account her previous literary work, said Culture Minister Martin Baxa (ODS), speaking at the award ceremony today.
Much of Tuckova’s work opens up little-known historical and social topics, helping raise public awareness of these issues.
Jiri Nasinec received the State Literature Prize for translation, especially for having translated works by Charles Nodier and Mircea Eliade, and for his overall contribution to the popularisation of Romanian literature.
In all, six Czech cultural figures were awarded at the ceremony, held in the National Theatre New Scene.
“I am convinced that today’s award-giving ceremony has shown again the strength, capability and international competitiveness of our culture,” Baxa said at the opening of the ceremony.
Tuckova noted that she was only the third woman to win the State Literature Prize. This represented the emergence of a strong generation of female writers, able to address the public directly, she added.
The State Literature Prize has been awarded since 1995. It follows a long tradition established in interwar Czechoslovakia in 1920 and interrupted after the Communist coup in 1948.
The State Literature Prize for contribution to theatre was awarded to director and university lecturer Zoja Mikotova, for her teaching and artistic efforts that interconnect the world of the deaf and the hearing.
The State Literature Prize for music was awarded to organist Karel Paukert. The jury praised his lifetime of concerts and teaching.
In architecture, the prize was given to Jiri Suchomel for his ground-breaking work in the sphere of sustainable architecture.
The State Literature Prize for graphic arts was awarded to gallery expert Marek Pokorny, for his major critical, curatorial and managerial contributions to contemporary art.
The State Literature Prize for cinematography and audio vision was granted to script writer Marcela Pittermannova. The prize was also given in memoriam to film and theatre director Evald Schorm.
