Belarusian Author Wins Prestigious German Award

• 2.10.2026, 9:35

For the book *The Nomad's Dictionary*.

Belarusian writer Olga Gapeeva has been named the recipient of the 2026 Grimm Brothers Prize for Literature from the city of Hanau. This was reported on the city’s official website.

Gapeeva was honored with an award for her book *The Nomad’s Dictionary*. Using building blocks from various languages, the Belarusian author erects a “house of language” standing on the foundation of a Europe that is aware of its potential and shortcomings—this is how the jury described her work. With her *Dictionary of the Nomad*, she demonstrates how language can foster critical thinking while simultaneously serving as a powerful refuge. At the same time, the author emerges as a keen observer of contemporary conditions, a critic of enduring abuses and empty linguistic formulas, as well as a steadfast and sensitive advocate for a different, better way of coexistence.

The award ceremony will take place on November 16, 2026. The prize is worth 10,000 euros.

Olga Gapeeva was born in 1982 in Minsk. She has lived in Austria and Germany since 2020. In 2021, her book *Adna Škarpetka i inšyja historii* won the Tetka Prize, being named the best domestic publication for children. The following year, her book *Loneliness That Lived in the Room Across the Hall* took second place in the Gedroyts Literary Award.