Georgi Gospodinov wins the 2026 Jean Monnet Prize for European Literature

Dariknews reports that Georgi Gospodinov has been awarded the 32nd Jean Monnet Prize for European Literature for 2026. The prize recognises his novel "The Gardener and Death" in its French translation by Marie Vrinat-Nikolov, published by Parisian house Gallimard.

Gospodinov announced the news on Facebook after French media broke the story. Jury president Gerard de Cortanze described the book as "a work of light against the black hole of death." The prize was awarded for the novel specifically, but Club Z notes that the jury also cited Gospodinov's body of work as a whole.

A prize with serious company

The Jean Monnet Prize, named after one of the founding fathers of modern Europe, has previously gone to writers including Antonio Tabucchi, Patrick Modiano, Ian McEwan, and Pascal Quignard, who won it in 2025. Gospodinov beat a shortlist that included Irish author Joseph O'Connor and Italian writer Andrea Bajani, and was up against a broader field featuring Jenny Erpenbeck, Lea Ypi, and Javier Cercas.

Standart reports that the prize carries a monetary award of 5,000 euros, funded by the Charente department of France with support from Cognac Monnet. The official ceremony will take place on 21 November in Cognac, as part of the 39th Festival of European Literatures. The following day, on 22 November, Gospodinov is scheduled to appear in conversation with French author Jerome Ferrari.

Gospodinov noted the symbolic weight of the prize's name. Winning an award bearing Jean Monnet's name felt especially meaningful, he wrote on Facebook, given where Europe finds itself today.

Recognition abroad

In 2023 Gospodinov became the first Bulgarian author to win the International Booker Prize, sharing the honour with translator Angela Rodel for "Time Shelter." Varna24 describes him as the most translated and most decorated Bulgarian writer abroad.

"The Gardener and Death" is also among seven finalists for the Angelus Central European Literary Award. The Polish edition, translated by Magda Pytlak, will compete for that prize, with the winner to be announced on 17 October in Wroclaw. Gospodinov previously won the Angelus for "Physics of Sorrow."