“This prize is a recognition for giving voice to those who did not have the chance to be heard before; those who were left behind to pick up the mess of the war. Women should not be victims of any war. Women are the continuation of life. I wrote this story to salute their strength.”
—. Constantia Soteriou, author of Bitter Land (Athens: Patakis, 2019). Prize-winner of the 2019 Commonwealth Short Story Prize.
On Thursday, February 13, 2020, we are honored to present Constantia Soteriou’s seminal Bitter Land (Athens, Patakis, 2019); with Stavros Karayianni (Associate Professor, European University), at the Soloneion Book Centre, Nicosia.
Constantia Soteriou’s ‘Death Customs’, comprised in Bitter Land, is the winning entry from Canada and Europe, and the overall winner of the 2019 Commonwealth Short Story prize.
(Read “Death Customs” on Granta Magazine / Our event on Facebook)
Having gained international recognition, Bitter Land is currently shortlisted for the 2020 European Union Prize for Literature
To read my articles on Constantia Soteriou’s work, follow the links below:
“Το γυναικείο είναι πολιτικό”, Epochi, 18 April 2020, p. 26.
“Εξήγησις πικρίας χώρας Κύπρου,” Kathimerini, 12 February 2019, p. 2.
Demetra Demetriou 