Marian Pilot, winner of the Nike Literary Award 2011; source: press materials
Marian Pilot was awarded this year's Nike literary prize for his novel "Plume" / "Pioropusz". The award ceremony was held at the University of Warsaw's library
"Plume" is set in rural Poland after the Second World War. It follows the plight of a family of petty thieves.
"This is not a pleasant book", reflected head of the jury, Professor Grazyna Borkowska, adding that it was neither "chic" nor "glamourous" but "very accurate".
The final seven books nominated for the literary prize included Joanna Bator, "Chmurdalia" / "Cloudalia"; Ignacy Karpowicz, "Balladinas and Romances" / "Balladyny i romanse"; Marian Pilot, "Plume" / "Pióropusz"; Justyna Bargielska, "Obsolettes" / "Obsoletki"; Wojciech Nowicki, "The Bottom of the Eye. An Essay on Photography" / "Dno oka. Esej o fotografii"; Andrzej Stasiuk, "A Journal Written Later" / "Dziennik pisany później".
During the ceremony on Sunday evening, Sławomir Mrożek was honoured the "Gazeta Wyborcza" readers award for the first volume of his diaries from 1962-1969.
This year head of the jury was Professor Grażyna Borkowska, jury members included: Przemysław Czapliński, Edward Balcerzan, Tomasz Fiałkowski, Jan Gondowicz, Inga Iwasiów, Adam Pomorski, Iwona Smolka i Joanna Tokarska-Bakir.
The Nike award is one of the most prestigious awards for Polish literature and is awarded every year in October for the best book of the past year. Its goal is to promote Polish literature, with a particular regard for the novel. The winner is selected over a three-step competition. The first is the jury's approval of 20 nominees, announced in May. The second is the selection of seven finalists, announced in September. The decision regarding the jury's choice for first prize is made on the same day it is announced and presented to the winner. Up until that moment, neither the winner, nor the finalists, are informed of the competition results.
The winner receives 100 000zł and the Nike award carved by Gustav Zemła.
Launched in 1997, the award is open to all literary genres, including biography.
Previous winners have included Wiesław Myśliwski (1997 and 2007), Czesław Miłosz (1998), Stanisław Barańczak (1999), Tadeusz Różewicz (2000), Jerzy Pilch (2001), Joanna Olczak-Ronikier (2002), Jarosław Marek Rymkiewicz (2003), Wojciech Kuczok (2004), Andrzej Stasiuk (2005), Dorota Masłowska (2006), Olga Tokarczuk (2008), Eugeniusz Tkaczyszyn-Dycki (2009) and Tadeusz Słobodzianek (2010).
The award is co-funded by the Gazeta Wyborcza and consulting company NICOM.
Source: press release