Czech Republic: Prestigious literary award goes to book some commentators and Romani people find offensive

The 16th annual Magnesia Litera book award announced its winners last week. In the newly-revived category for journalism, the award has been given to the book called BRNOX, a guidebook to the neighborhood in Brno nicknamed the "Bronx" that purports to be about that socially excluded locality.
"This award belongs to the residents of the Bronx, not just to us, but to the many co-workers who contributed to it," author Kateřina Šedá said when accepting the award. "It's actually dedicated to that locality, because the aim of this little book was not to write a book that is super, but a book that will shake up the place and change it somehow."
"It might sound quite stupid, but I really fell in love with the Romani community there. This little book can be read in different ways, but for me it was terribly surprising what I found there, and I'm sorry that it has sparked the opposite reaction among some people," the author concluded, referrring to the fact that the book has been harshly criticized by some columnists and by Romani people themselves.
Magnesia Litera 2017 Book Awards
Book of the Year: Bianca Bellová: Jezero (publisher: Host)
Award for Prose: Marek Šindelka: Únava materiálu (publisher: Odeon)
Award for Poetry: Milan Ohnisko: Světlo v ráně (publisher: Druhé město)
Award for Children's and Young Adult Literature: Tomáš Končinský, Barbora Klárová: Překlep a Škraloup (publisher: Albatros)
Award for Educational Literature: Petr Roubal: Československé spartakiády (publisher: Academia)
Award for a Feat of Publishing: Adam Chroust: Miloslav Stingl – Biografie cestovatelské legendy (publisher: Jota)
Award for a book in translation: Sara Baume: Jasno lepo podstín zhyna (translate from English by Alice Hyrmanová McElveen, publisher: Odeon)
Award for journalism: Kateřina Šedá: Brnox (publisher: Kateřina Šedá)
DILIA Litera for Discovery of the Year: Ondřej Nezbeda: Průvodce smrtelníka (publisher: Paseka)
Kosmas Readers' Award: Markéta Zahradníková, Zbygniew Czendlik: Postel hospoda kostel (publisher: Argo)
Magnesia Blog of the Year: KKRD Boys: Brblanina
Don't miss:
- PHOTO GALLERY: Brno celebrations of International Romani Day - ribbons on the Tree of Tolerance, program at Hvězdička Park
- VIDEO: Exhibition about Romani jewelry in Brno on view until the end of April
- VIDEO: Romani students spend the weekend in Brno's Cejl neighborhood
- "Baruvas" Romani student meeting in Brno, Czech Republic confirms that education makes sense
Related articles:
- Czech volunteers say second-largest city has broken its agreement by closing camp used by Romani refugees from Ukraine near Grand Hotel
- Romani community in Czech city chooses five figures to honor for their contribution to civil society, including aid to Romani refugees from Ukraine
- New guidebook on children aging out of institutional care hopes to make their transition to adulthood easier in the Czech Republic
- Brno cancels new refugee camp idea after overwhelming criticism and pressure from Czech Govt Human Rights Commissioner to negotiate on the situation of Romani refugees
- Brno, Czech Republic: 50 people protest city's treatment of Romani refugees from Ukraine
- PHOTO GALLERY: Protesters create an "alley of shame" in front of Brno City Hall to protest city representatives' treatment of Romani refugees from Ukraine
- Czech Republic's second-largest city to see day of demonstrations tomorrow against treatment of Romani refugees and their children
- Romani musician refuses to be nominated for possible state honors during Czech President Zeman's time in office
- Tomáš Ščuka: Representatives of Czech Republic's second-largest city say Romani women from Ukraine here are not refugees and they will not aid them
- Czech civil society representatives from the Grand Initiative: We couldn't ignore the inhumane conditions in which the Romani children and women fleeing the war are living in Brno
- Child welfare official for Czech Republic's second-largest city says she did not threaten to take custody of Romani refugee children from Ukraine but won't say what she told their mothers
- Volunteers in Czech Republic's second-largest city form initiative to aid destitute, homeless Romani women from Ukraine after the city and the state have failed them