The Zbigniew Herbert International Literary Award (Polish: Międzynarodowa Nagroda Literacka im. Zbigniewa Herberta) is a Polish international literature prize established in 2013 in Warsaw and named after a Polish poet, essayist, and moralist Zbigniew Herbert (1924–1998). It is conferred annually by the Zbigniew Herbert Foundation and its aim is to recognize "outstanding artistic and intellectual literary achievements on the world stage which have a bearing on the world of values towards which Zbigniew Herbert’s work gravitated".
History In 2010, the Zbigniew Herbert Foundation was set up to preserve and promote Herbert's "creative legacy as an integral part of the literary and cultural heritage of Poland, Europe and the world" as well as to encourage and support "education in the fields of literature and the humanities, particularly modern literature, writing, poetry and journalism, with a special emphasis on programs for young people". The initiative to establish the foundation was put forward by his wife Katarzyna Dzieduszycka-Herbert.
The jury selecting the winners of the award have included many renowned literature experts and authors such as Edward Hirsch, Jaume Vallcorba Plana, Tomas Venclova, Yurii Andrukhovych, Agneta Pleijel, Michael Krüger, Lidija Dimkovska, and Jarosław Mikołajewski.
Laureates
YearLaureate(s)ImageCitizenship(s)Institution(s)Source(s) 2026 Ana Blandiana Romania Babeș-Bolyai University 2025 Anne Carson Canada University of Toronto 2024 Yang Lian Switzerland, China European Graduate School 2023 Lithuania University of Vilnius 2022 Ukraine University of Lviv 2021 United States New York University 2020 Germany Kunstakademie Düsseldorf 2019 Israel Hebrew University of Jerusalem 2018 Ireland University College Cork 2017 South Africa / France University of Cape Town 2016 Sweden University of Texas at Austin 2015 Poland Adam Mickiewicz University 2014 Serbia / United States University of New Hampshire 2013 United States Princeton University
See also Angelus Award Silesius Poetry Award Polish literature
References