We Are Light by Gerda Blees Shortlisted for the 2025 Dublin Literary Award
At the heart of the Dublin Literary Award is a vast network of libraries; not just the network of Dublin City Libraries who have happily been serving communities since 1884 but libraries in cities, big and small around the world.
Dublin Literary Award honours excellence in world literature since 1996. Presented annually, the Award is one of the most significant literature prizes in the world.
Each year, a longlist is created of nominated books from invited public libraries in cities around the world. The esteemed panel of judges then face the monumental task of narrowing these titles down to a shortlist of no more than ten titles. From this shortlist of exceptional work, one winner is selected and announced in a ceremony during the International Literature Festival Dublin.
The nominating library says about We Are Light: “It is fascinating story of a commune in which the members cease to eat and live of air and light. One member dies of starvation. What happened? You read the account by witnessing it by means of bystanders but also by means of other characters, such as the night, a cigarette or even the story itself! Each chapters is told by another character. Bizarre: the story is based on true accounts. Winner of the EU prize for literature 2021.”
Learn more about author Gerda Blees and translator Michele Hutchison!