In early September, Gazeta Wyborcza and the Agora Foundation announced the list of strict finalists for the "Nike" Literary Award. Among the seven selected authors was architectural historian and critic Grzegorz Piątek. This is the 27th edition of the award, and since the beginning it has been accompanied by the "Readers' Nike." Readers, in an online vote, choose their favorite from among the final seven. This year it was the historical reportage "Promised Gdynia. City, Modernism, Modernization 1920-1939" by Grzegorz Piątek! Whether the author will also receive the "Nike" statuette, we will find out this Sunday, October 1, at a gala in the building of the University Library in Warsaw.
This is not the first award for the book "Gdynia Promised.City, Modernism, Modernization 1920-1939." This year, Grzegorz Piątek received the Polityka Passport for the book and in August the Gdynia 2023 Literary Award in the essay category.
It is also worth noting thatthis is Grzegorz Piątek's second nomination for the Nike Award - in 2021, his book The Best City in the World. Warsaw in reconstruction 1944-1949 was among the seven finalists!
The "Nike" Literary Award
Funded by Gazeta Wyborcza and the Agora Foundation , the "Nike" Literary Award has been granted since 1997, honoring the best book written in any literary genre and published in the year preceding the award.
The winner / laureate of the 27th edition of the award will be selected by a jury chaired by Inga Iwasiów and composed of Marek Beylin, Przemysław Czapliński, Justyna Jaworska, Tadeusz Nyczek, Masza Potocka, Krzysztof Siwczyk, Maria Topczewska, Maria Zmarz-Koczanowicz.
The list of announced finalists for the 27th edition includes:
- Wiktoria Biezunska - novel "Passing through the threshold, I will whistle" (Cyranka Publishing House),
- Anna Bikont - reportage "Price. In search of Jewish children after the war" (Czarne Publishing House),
- Mateusz Górniak - novel "Trash Story" (Korporacja Ha!art),
- Grzegorz Piątek - "Gdynia Promised. City, Modernism, Modernization 1920-1939" (W.A.B. Publishing House),
- Zyta Rudzka - novel "Ten się śmieje, kto ma zęby" (W.A.B. Publishing House),
- Piotr Sommer - poetry "Years of Practice" (WBPCiAK Publishing House),
- Ilona Wisniewska - reportage "Migot. From the Edge of Greenland" (Czarne Publishing House).
On Friday, September 29 this year. Gazeta Wyborcza published the results of the readers' vote, who chose their favorite in an online poll that lasted from September 1-24. The winner of the "Readers' Nike 2023" was Grzegorz Piątek! Will he receive the main prize in addition to the readers' statuette? We will find out on October 1 at a gala at the University Library building in Warsaw.
The gala will be broadcast from 8 pm on wyborcza.pl and on TVN 24BiS. We keep our fingers crossed!
