The award was presented during a ceremony in Kraków, southern Poland, at the close of the 17th International Joseph Conrad Literature Festival - an event celebrating global and Polish literature, inspired by Joseph Conrad, a Polish-born novelist who wrote in English and is renowned worldwide for works such as Heart of Darkness.
This year’s festival was held under the motto Radical Hope, drawing on the philosophy of American thinker Jonathan Lear.
The theme explored how individuals and societies can rebuild meaning after collapse - a reflection that resonates strongly with Hermanowicz’s novel, which delves into memory and the inheritance of wartime trauma.
? Marta Hermanowicz, autorka powieści „Koniec” (Wydawnictwo ArtRage) zdobywa Nagrodę Conrada za najlepszy debiut...
Opublikowany przez Conrad Festival Niedziela, 26 października 2025
Accepting the award, Hermanowicz said that the world keeps adding new chapters to her story, as war never truly ends and its echoes persist through generations.
Marta Hermanowicz (photo: PAP/Art Service)
This year’s competition included 91 nominated books, with the winner selected by both a professional jury and readers’ votes.
Established in 2015, the Conrad Award aims to support emerging authors and encourage publishers to promote new literary voices. It is funded by the City of Kraków, with partners including the Kraków Festival Office, the Tygodnik Powszechny Foundation, and the Polish Book Institute.
(photo: PAP/Art Service)
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Source: IAR/Radio Kraków/Conradfestival.pl