Story of Turkish boy in the Bijlmer wins Libris award for literature
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Author Murat Isik (40) has won the prestigious Dutch Libris award for literature for his book Wees Onzichtbaar (be invisible).
The book tells the story of a Turkish boy growing up in the Bijlmermeer in Amsterdam in the 1980s, then a neighbourhood in decline.
‘I dedicate this award to the Bijlmer, the neighbourhood of my childhood. At times colourful and warm, at times grey and cold, it’s an important character in my novel and a place that, in my dreams, I have never left,’ the author said on receiving the prize which comes with €50,000 and a bronze medal.
Isik debuted with his novel Verloren Grond (lost ground) in 2012 which recorded his family history from the perspective of his great-grandparents in Eastern Turkey.
According to the jury, the author ‘tells an important and serious story about a family finding a home in our recent history’.
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