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北京大学英语新闻网/Peking University News
Awarding Ceremony of 2009 ―Annual
Best Foreign Novels of the 21st
Century‖ held at PKU
PKU NEWS 2009--12—17
http://ennews.pku.edu.cn/news.php?s=261711842
Peking University, Beijing, Dec.17th, 2009: The awarding ceremony of 2009 ―Annual
Best Foreign Novels of the 21st Century‖ was held in the Democracy Building at
Peking University (PKU). Renowned Chinese writers Mo Yan and Li Er conferred the
prizes to Martin Walser and the delegate of Augusto Cury. Martin Walser‘s
prize-winning work is Ein Liebender Mann (Translated by Prof. Huang Liaoyu) and
Augusto Cury‘s is O vendedor de sonhos (Translated by Wei Ling and Shi Liang).
The Award of ―Annual Best Foreign Novels of the 21st Century‖ is the only Chinese
literature award for foreign writers initiated from the year 2001. There are 51 literary
works from 17 foreign writers awarded in recent 8 years. 2 of the recipients have
been laureates of the Noble Prizes. This award helps to promote translation of
foreign works and the communication between the Chinese and foreign literary
circles.
The awarding ceremony this year was held by China Publishing Group, People's
Literature Publishing House and China Foreign Literature Society. It is also
co-organized by the Department of German at Peking University and Goethe
Institution. In addition, this is also the first time for this awarding ceremony to be held
in a university. A large number of experts, scholars and delegates from foreign
embassies attended the awarding ceremony.
The chorus by senior students from the Department of German enlivened the
ceremony. Then Martin Walser gave a speech titled ―Literature Conveys
Information‖, in which he emphasizes on the relation between literature and politics.
His presentation focused on the function of literature in promoting international
relationship and understanding.
This ceremony also attracted attention from overseas media. The speech of Martin
Walser was published in Süddeutsche Zeitung on Dec. 16th. Literary Newspaper
published his speech in Chinese on Dec.19th. At the same time, the German
Embassy in Beijing published Martin Walser‘s speech both in German and Chinese
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