Journalist and publicist Andrej Nikolaidis is the winner of the "Meša Selimović" award for the best novel published in 2016.
Nikolaidis' novel "Hungarian sentence" was declared the best in the competition in the speaking areas of Bosnia and Herzegovina, Montenegro, Croatia and Serbia, and among the nominees were the following novels: "EEG" by Daša Drndić, "Beara" by Ivica Đikić, Damir Karakaš' "Sječanje forests" and Damir Ovčina's novel "When I was a hodja".
Nikolaidis believes that "Meša Selimović" is the most important literary award because it "brings together countries that were once under one roof", reports the portal "fokus.ba".
"When you're a child and you play football behind the building, after five minutes it's clear to everyone who plays the best and who needs to be kicked the hardest. When you're a writer, you know which award you'd most like to win. It's this one," he pointed out.
The decision was made by the jury of the 17th international literary meeting "Cum grano salis" consisting of: president Adisa Bašić and members Hadžem Hajdarević, Slobodan Šnajder, Pavle Goranović and Mile Stojić.
The award was presented to Nikoloaidis by Tuzla Mayor Jasmin Imamović at the Tuzla National Theater as part of the 17th International Literary Meeting "Cum grano salis", which ended last night.
"At 'Cum grano salis', guardians of intelligence, literacy and talent come every year, people who write one page for ten days, one book for ten years, guardians of intelligence and kindness come to us, spreading the mission of restoring trust and brotherhood among people. You have heard the names of previous award winners, names of previous jury members and selectors. Among them are great masters and defenders of truth, justice, good, harmonization and the spread of brotherhood among people," said Mayor Imamović, reports the portal "tuzlanski.ba".
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