Monika Herceg

Croatia

The winner of the SEP Literary Award for Young Authors for 2024 is the Croatian poet, playwright, and writer Monika Herceg, currently one of the most prominent and recognizable voices of contemporary Croatian literature.

EXPLORATION

In her writing, translated into more than twenty languages and full of lyrical beauty, she explores personal and collective memory, trauma, the intricate dance between history and identity, as well as socially critical issues such as emancipation, femicide, violence against women, and the lives of marginalized communities.

MORE THAN FIFTEEN LITERARY AWARDS

The sharp and insightful young author has received numerous awards, including the Macedonian international poetry prize Bridges of Struga for the best debut for the collection Početne koordinate (Initial Coordinates; 2018), the Polish European Poet of Freedom award for Lovostaj (Closed Hunting Season; 2019), and for the play Gdje se kupuju nježnosti (Where to Buy Tenderness) she received the award granted by the Croatian National Theatre in Zagreb for the best drama.

LYRICALLY INTENSE, EMOTIONALLY DEEP, CONTEMPORARY

The writing of Monika Herceg, with the cyclical nature of the seasons imbued with the enchantment of magical realism, merges with the raw reality of the present moment. Her plays are broadcast on Croatian National Radio as radio dramas, and an experimental film was made based on her play Zakopana čuda (Buried Wonders). Her activism has earned her the Fierce Women award.