Romanian writer Mircea Cartarescu’s novel Solenoid, which was also shortlisted for the Prix Médicis Étranger in early October this year, received the Prix Millepages 2019 for foreign literature.

This is not the first French prize awarded to Solenoid, as the novel also won the Prix Transfuge 2019 award.

“After the Prix Transfuge 2019, “Solenoid" received yesterday a new prestigious French prize, Prix Millepages 2019. If I add to this the fact that it was also shortlisted for Medicis Etranger, as well as the numerous chronicles in the most prestigious publications, I can say that the novel exceeded my expectations for the French space (where I have had a mediocre reception so far),” Mircea Cartarescu said on his Facebook page.

The Prix Millepage 2019 for foreign literature was awarded to the novel Solenoid published in France at the Noir sur Blanc publishing house, and to Ici n'est plus ici by Tommy Orange, local News.ro reported.

Solenoid appeared in Romania at Humanitas publishing house. The novel was also translated in Swedish and German this year.

Born in 1956, Mircea Cartarescu is a poet, novelist, essayist and literary critic. He is also a professor at the Faculty of Letters of the University of Bucharest. His books have been widely translated, and he also won numerous awards, among them the Thomas Mann award, the Formentor de las Letras award, the Haus der Kulturen der Welt award for literature, and the Austria State Prize for European Literature.

newsroom@romania-insider.com

(Photo source: Facebook/Mircea Cartarescu)