Lidia Jorge Receives Austrian State Prize for European Literature 2026

Portuguese author Lidia Jorge has been awarded the Austrian State Prize for European Literature 2026 for her lifetime achievement. Her novel "Die Stunde der Nelken" (original title "Os Memoráveis"), translated by Marianne Gareis, has just been published by Secession Verlag. The novel centers on the Carnation Revolution of April 25, 1974, exploring memory, truth, and the legacy of Portugal's peaceful uprising. The story follows Ana Maria Machado, a journalist living in the US, who returns to Lisbon to investigate her father's mysterious past and create a TV documentary about the revolution with former classmates. A photograph from August 1975, known as the Memories photo, becomes a key artifact linking Ana to the revolutionaries and a Belgian actress named Rosie Honoré. Jorge's work frequently addresses colonialism, social inequality, women's discrimination, and racism, shaped by her years teaching in Angola and Mozambique. The Austrian State Prize, awarded since 1965, honors European authors whose complete works have gained international recognition and are available in German translation.