Nikolaidis after receiving the Meša Selimović award: Tuzla has become the capital of post-Yugoslav literature

The "Meša Selimović" award for the best novel published in 2016 in the linguistic area of Bosnia and Herzegovina, Montenegro, Croatia, and Serbia was won by Andrej Nikolaidis, for the novel The Hungarian Sentence.

The plot takes place on a train between Budapest and Vienna, and the author, in search of a friend, a poet who committed suicide, "talks and dreams".

Nikolaidis stated upon receiving the award that, thanks to the literary gathering Cum grano salis and the associated award, Tuzla has become the capital of post-Yugoslav literature.

"History will look favorably upon this fact," said the writer.

The president of the jury, Adisa Bašić, stated that reading books is a sublime and intimate act, a quiet conversation with the writer and the world that takes place in solitude, because it occurs in a time of pronounced pragmatism, making even reading books seem almost like a luxury.

"Therefore, it is always exciting to compare one's reading experience with others, to expose oneself in that way to others. When we read, we talk most about ourselves," said Bašić.

The decision on the award for Nikolaidis was made by the jury of the 17th International Literary Encounters Cum grano salis, composed of Adisa Bašić, president, and members Hadžem Hajdarević, Slobodan Šnajder, Pavle Goranović, and Mile Stojić.

The award was presented at a ceremony held at the National Theatre in Tuzla by the Mayor of Tuzla, Jasmin Imamović.

As previously announced, the following novels were nominated for the Meša Selimović Award:

- Daša Drndić: EEG, Fraktura, Zaprešić 2016.

- Ivica Đikić: Beara, Naklada Ljevak, Zagreb 2016.

- Damir Karakaš: Sjećanje šume, Sandorf, Zagreb 2016.

- Andrej Nikolaidis: Mađarska rečenica, Buybook, Sarajevo 2016.

- Damir Ovčina: Kad sam bio hodža, Buybook, Sarajevo 2016.