Regional literary awards announce thriller finalists and top 100 novels

The Association of Thriller Writers (UPiT) has announced the ten finalists for its second regional ‘Golden Thriller’ award. The shortlist, selected from 37 entries from Serbia, Croatia, Montenegro, and Bosnia and Herzegovina, features novels published in 2025. Notable finalists include ‘Bekos’ by Enes Halilović, ‘Boja straha’ by Zoran Petrović, and ‘Usta puna mora’ by Jurica Pavičić. The winner will be announced in early December during the second Belgrade Thrillerfest.

Separately, the regional portal Velike Priče has released a list of the 100 best novels from the region. The selection was made by a jury of 121 writers, critics, and editors. Ivo Andrić dominated the top rankings, with ‘Na Drini ćuprija’ taking first place, followed by Meša Selimović’s ‘Derviš i smrt’ in second, and Andrić’s ‘Prokleta avlija’ in third. Other top entries include Miloš Crnjanski’s ‘Seobe’ and Andrić’s ‘Travnička hronika’.