Uzbek writer Ismailov receives an award from the EBRD for his novel

A novel of the Uzbek writer Khamid Ismailov “Dance of devils” received an EBRD prize on literature for 2019, Ria.ru reports citing data from the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development.

“This is the first novel translated from Uzbek into English. The author of the novel and the translator will share the prize of 20,000 euros between them,” the EBRD reports.

The novel was translated into English by Donald Rayfield jointly with John Fanchon.

“The award shared equally between the author and the translator promotes the art of translation and the exceptional wealth, depth and diversity of literary work in the countries of operating the bank,” the EBRD explains.

In 2018, the Turkish writer Burkhan Senmez with the novel “Istanbul, Istanbul” became a winner of the EBRD literary prize. Among the finalists, there was also a Russian writer Boris Akunin with the book “The Whole World Theater” from the series of adventures of Erast Fandorin.

The novel “Dance of devils” tells the story of a courtesan living in the 19th century who weaves intrigues in the courtyards and harems of the Uzbek emirs and khans at a time when the Great Britain and Russia are competing for influence in this region. In parallel, the work tells about the misadventures of a well-known Uzbek writer and dissident who fell victim to the Soviet authorities in the late 1930s.

Khamid Ismailov is an Uzbek journalist and writer living in the UK. Donald Rayfield is an honorary professor of Russian and Georgian languages at Queen Mary University in London, who specially learned Uzbek to translate the devil's dance, the EBRD notes. John Fanchon is currently a fellow at the Royal Literary Foundation on literary works, teaching literature at the City & Guilds of London Art School.