Hamid Ismailov is listed among the Nobel Prize nominees

Uzbek writer Hamid Ismailov has been named among the potential nominees for the Nobel Prize in Literature.

A unique feature of the Nobel Prize is that details about the literature nominees and their nominators are kept confidential for 50 years. The official Nobel Prize database also states that information about new nominees becomes available only after this period has expired.

Hamid Ismailov writes in Uzbek and Russian. His works have been translated into English, Turkish, German, and French. In 2019, he received the EBRD Literature Prize for his novel “The Devils Dance”. His work “We Computers” was also shortlisted for the same award.

The famous poet, writer, and journalist was born on May 5, 1954, in Tokmok, Kyrgyzstan. He graduated from the Military School of Communications and later from several faculties at Tashkent State University: biology, law, and management.

In 1992, Ismailov left Uzbekistan and has lived in London since. In 2006, his novel “The Railway” was translated into English by the renowned writer Robert Chandler and published in London. The poet’s poems were translated into German by Ingeborg Baldauf and Sigrid Kleinmichel.

This year’s Nobel Prize in Literature will be announced in Stockholm on Thursday, October 8. The winner will receive SEK 12 million, approximately $1.2 million. The award ceremony will be held on December 10.

Orash Akaboyev, UzA