Dragan Velikić wins Prozaart award for Balkan literature

Serbian writer Dragan Velikić has been awarded the ‘Prozaart’ prize for his significant contribution to the development of Balkan literature. The award was presented by the organizers of the 14th International Literary Festival ‘PRO-ZA Balkan’.

The award ceremony is scheduled to take place on September 15 at the Skopje City Museum during the festival's closing ceremony. The selection committee, composed of Ermis Lafazanovski, Aleksandar Prokopiiev, and Dejan Trajkoski, praised Velikić for his stylistic refinement, his focus on the intimate states of his characters, and his keen interest in the political, social, and cultural changes within the region.

Velikić, an accomplished author with twelve novels and several collections of short stories, noted that the recognition is particularly meaningful following the publication of his ‘Vienna Novel’, which addresses themes of distrust and regional relevance.