ZAGREB, 9 Dec (Hina) - Miljenko Jergović has been awarded the 2026 Leipzig Book Award for European Understanding for his short story collection "Trojica za Kartal: Sarajevski Marlboro Remastered" (Three for Kartal - Sarajevo Marlboro Remastered), the publishing house Fraktura reported.

"The Leipzig Book Award for European Understanding 2026 is being presented to the Croatian-Bosnian writer Miljenko Jergović, who, with great steadfastness, examines the fault lines of the history of the Western Balkans in his narrative work. Whether dealing with family panoramas spanning long periods, offbeat road movies, or a reflective portrait of his father, wartime experiences always form the core of these stories," the jury said.

The siege of Sarajevo is the central theme of the collection, which is at the same time the author’s commentary on his early collection "Sarajevski Marlboro" (Sarajevo Marlboro), the jury noted.

According to the jury, Jergović "sometimes drastically, sometimes mercilessly, and sometimes poetically" observes the lasting wounds of individuals and the destruction of society. "By turning to inconspicuous details and fragments, he offers an aesthetic resistance to major simplifications and the dangers of nationalism," the jury emphasised.

The collection was published in 2022 by the publishing house Bodoni. For it, Jergović received the Fric Award, and it has since been translated into about a dozen European languages. In Germany, the book was published under the title "Das verrückte Herz" by Suhrkamp in the autumn of 2024. The book was translated from Croatian into German by Brigitte Döbert.

The award will be presented to Miljenko Jergović on 18 March 2026 at the opening of the Leipzig Book Fair. 

The Leipzig Book Award for European Understanding, awarded annually since 1994, amounts to €20,000 and is one of the most important literary prizes in Germany.