Congolese author Fiston Mwanza Mujila has been awarded Austria’s prestigious 2026 Erich Fried Prize in recognition of his outstanding contributions to contemporary literary fiction and poetry.
Endowed by Austria’s Federal Ministry for Housing, Arts, Culture, Media and Sport and administered annually by the International Erich Fried Society, the award carries a cash prize of €15,000.
Now based in Austria, Mujila is widely celebrated for blending jazz rhythms, oral storytelling and lyrical prose to examine themes of colonialism, migration, political violence, and contemporary Congolese life.
His debut novel, Tram 83, was longlisted for the 2016 Man Booker International Prize following its 2015 English translation. His subsequent novel, The Villain’s Dance, explores exile and political upheaval across Central Africa. His literary portfolio also includes internationally acclaimed poetry collections such as The River in the Belly and The Slaughterhouse of Dreams: Kasala for My Kaku.
Jury member Seel commended Mujila’s performance and literary style, stating that reading or listening to his work leads audiences to fundamental questions of existence, hope, love, violence, and history.
The official award ceremony will take place at the Literature House in Vienna on November 15, 2026, where Seel is scheduled to deliver the laudatory address.
The Erich Fried Prize is regarded as one of Austria’s highest literary honours, named after the prominent Austrian poet and essayist Erich Fried. It is for writers whose works reflect a deep engagement with modern social, political, and human issues.