Elena Ferrante, Marian Keyes and Javier Marias have all been chosen to represent their countries in the Eurovision book contest.
As singer Mae Muller prepares to represent the UK in the Eurovision song contest grand final on Saturday night, Heartstopper author and illustrator Alice Oseman has been announced as the UK’s contender for the competition’s literary counterpart.
Last year’s Eurovision victors Ukraine will be represented in the book contest by Serhiy Zhadan for his novel The Orphanage, while Moomins creator Tove Jansson’s adult novel The Summer Book is the choice for Finland.
The book contest is a special project setup by the Eurovision song contest in partnership with the Hay festival, to mark the UK’s hosting of the annual music event on behalf of Ukraine.
In March, the literary festival asked the public to submit their favourite fiction from any of the 37 countries that take part in the music competition each year. Suggestions could be of any genre and language but they had to have been published in the years since Eurovision began in 1956.
The final selection of one book from each country was chosen by an expert panel, who were aiming to come up with “an ambitious reading list” of books that will “inspire, examine and entertain”.
Hay festival CEO Julie Finch said the list “celebrates the universality of the human experience and literature’s unique ability to connect us.”
“Sharing stories across borders has never felt more important,” she added. “Alongside our partnership with Ukraine’s largest book festival, Lviv BookForum, this collaboration with the Eurovision song contest celebrates the role of great literature in forging understanding and empathy globally.”
Martin Österdahl, executive supervisor of the Eurovision song contest said that the song competition “has always had storytelling and showcasing the best talent from across Europe and beyond at its core.”
“As we prepare to be ‘United By Music’ in Liverpool, we look forward to seeing Europe coming together to celebrate diversity through its rich literary heritage as well”, he said.
A special event at Hay on 2 June at 8.30pm will invite audiences to discuss the selection and an overall winner will be voted on.
Everyone who nominated a book will be entered into a draw to win some of the selected titles and a free subscription to the festival’s Hay Player archive of digital content.
This year’s Hay festival takes place from 25 May to 4 June, and the lineup includes events with Dua Lipa, Margaret Atwood, Stormzy and Tracey Emin.