The European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) has revealed the ten shortlisted books for the 2025 edition of the EBRD Literature Prize. All works are English translations of original fiction by authors from seven countries where the Bank operates: Croatia, Czechia, Hungary, Moldova, Poland, Türkiye and Ukraine.
This year’s selection brings to the fore a rich tapestry of narratives, shaped by political, cultural and personal experiences, and showcases the literary vitality emerging from regions often marked by transition and turbulence.
Chosen by an independent jury, the shortlisted titles offer a diverse range of voices and styles, including poetic flash fiction, gothic fairy tales, and experimental narrative forms. The works are:
- Sons, Daughters by Ivana Bodrožić (Croatia), translated by Ellen Elias-Bursać (Seven Stories Press UK)
- The Ukraine by Artem Chapeye (Ukraine), translated by Zenia Tompkins (Seven Stories Press UK)
- Too Great a Sky by Liliana Corobca (Moldova), translated by Monica Cure (Seven Stories Press UK)
- Engagement by Ҫiler İlhan (Türkiye), translated by Kenneth Dakan (Istros Books)
- My Women by Yuliia Iliukha (Ukraine), translated by Hanna Leliv (128 LIT)
- Celebration by Damir Karakaš (Croatia), translated by Ellen Elias-Bursać (Selkies House Limited)
- Herscht 07769 by László Krasznahorkai (Hungary), translated by Ottilie Mulzet (New Directions Publishing)
- Forgottenness by Tanja Maljartschuk (Ukraine), translated by Zenia Tompkins (Bullaun Press in Ireland and Liveright, USA)
- Life After Kafka by Magdaléna Platzová (Czechia), translated by Alex Zucker (Bellevue Literary Press)
- The Empusium by Olga Tokarczuk (Poland), translated by Antonia Lloyd-Jones (Fitzcarraldo Editions)
Each book has been carefully selected from submissions received in the previous autumn. According to the Prize’s timeline, a shortlist of ten works is announced in March, followed by the selection of three finalists in April. The winner will be revealed on 24 June at a public ceremony at the EBRD’s London headquarters.
Dr Maya Jaggi, chair of the 2025 judging panel, highlighted the remarkable creativity emerging from regions grappling with societal upheaval and even open conflict. “I am struck by how the sometimes-troubled regions the prize covers are producing some of the most exciting, innovative and boundary-pushing fiction anywhere in the world,” said Jaggi. “Women’s voices emerged strongly. Our short list ranges from haunting poetic vignettes of ‘flash fiction’ written in present-day Ukraine, to gothic fairytale horrors, blood feuds and a propulsive, 400-page novel in a single sentence tracing the rise of the far right in the heart of Europe.”
This year’s jury also includes Selma Dabbagh, writer and editor; Uilleam Blacker, translator and Associate Professor in Ukrainian and East European Culture at University College London; and Fergal Keane, writer and BBC News foreign correspondent.
In addition to showcasing literary excellence, the EBRD Literature Prize champions the work of translators as cultural mediators. The Bank recognizes their crucial role in building bridges between communities and disseminating underrepresented voices to a global audience. As part of this commitment, the €20,000 prize is equally divided between the winning author and translator. The other two finalist teams each receive €2,000.
Now in its eighth year, the Prize is a key initiative within the EBRD’s Community Initiative, which involves the Bank and its staff in cultural, philanthropic, and social outreach. Launched in 2018 with the support of the Bank’s shareholders, the Prize has become an important platform for promoting literature from across three continents.
The inclusion of publishers from both North America and Europe in the 2025 shortlist reflects a more comprehensive international effort to bring voices from EBRD regions into the English-speaking literary landscape. Seven Stories Press UK, which features prominently this year with three titles (Sons, Daughters, The Ukraine, and Too Great a Sky), has shown a sustained commitment to publishing translated works from Eastern Europe. Other notable publishers include Fitzcarraldo Editions, Bellevue Literary Press, and New Directions Publishing.
Among the standout works is Herscht 07769 by Hungarian novelist László Krasznahorkai, a single-sentence novel that interrogates authoritarian ideologies in Europe. Meanwhile, Forgottenness by Ukrainian writer Tanja Maljartschuk—previously shortlisted for the Prize—returns with a narrative that blurs memory and identity. Olga Tokarczuk, the Nobel Prize-winning Polish author, adds further prestige to the list with The Empusium, a haunting and philosophically rich tale.
Ukraine features prominently on the 2025 list, with three entries reflecting the country’s active literary response to its current political and social climate. From Artem Chapeye’s introspective The Ukraine to the urgent and poetic My Womenby Yuliia Iliukha, Ukrainian voices speak powerfully to the challenges and transformations of the present.
Beyond literature, the EBRD Literature Prize reflects broader institutional values of inclusivity, cultural dialogue, and social cohesion. By elevating fiction rooted in complex historical and contemporary realities, the Prize fosters mutual understanding and enriches global cultural exchange.
The announcement of the three finalists in April will further heighten anticipation, culminating in the June awards ceremony in London, where one author-translator team will be honored as the 2025 EBRD Literature Prize winner.
