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Eka Kurniawan nominated for FT/OppenheimerFunds Emerging Voices Awards
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Writer Eka Kurniawan attends the launch of his novel "O" at a bookstore in Jakarta on March 13. (The Jakarta Post/Wienda Parwitasari)
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oted Indonesian writer Eka Kurniawan has been included on the shortlist of the FT/OppenheimerFunds Emerging Voices Awards 2016 in the Fiction category for his renowned book Man Tiger (Lelaki Harimau). The winners, as well as runner-ups, will be announced at the New York Public Library on Sep 26.
“For me, the award gives a great appreciation for my work,” said Eka Kurniawan to The Jakarta Post via email. Prior the FT/OppenheimerFunds Emerging Voices Awards, Man Tiger was also nominated for the Man Booker International Prize 2016. “Both of [the nominations] came unexpectedly. I have never thought that I would be nominated for the awards.”
Eka said that he never enrolled or submitted his works for the awards. He also never asked his publisher to do so. “It seems that the one who can directly submit the work is the publisher,” he says, “I think the publishers have their own initiatives. If they have faith on the works they have published, it is only natural for them to send the works [to be nominated].”
(Read also: Eka launches new novel after entering man booker list)
Regarding the winner announcement event that will take place in the US, Eka hopes to attend, “I will be in Europe from the middle to end of September for the launch of my novel in German, Poland and Norway,” he explains. “America is relatively close to Europe, so perhaps I can go straightly from there.”
FT/OppenheimerFunds Emerging Voices Awards returns for its second year with recognitions for outstanding artists in fiction, film-making, and the arts. This year the organizers selected over 790 submissions from more than 60 emerging-market countries. The winners will be eligible to receive a cash award of US$40,000, while the runner-ups will get $5,000.
(Read also: Review: ‘O’ a dangerous tale on the law of the jungle)
Born in 1975, Eka Kurniawan has published four novels, four short-stories, and a non-fiction work. One of his books, Man Tiger, has been translated into six different languages. Meanwhile, an earlier novel, Love and Vengeance (Seperti Dendam, Rindu harus Dibayar Tuntas) is being adapted into a film where Eka is the co-scriptwriter. The film’s shooting process is planned to start in 2017. His latest novel, titled O, was released in March 2016. (asw)
