The 2014 IMPAC Dublin Literary Award goes to Juan Gabriel Vásquez

The novel ‘The Sound of Things Falling’ by the Colombian author Juan Gabriel Vásquez has won the International IMPAC DUBLIN Literary Award. The prize, with a cash prize of €100,000 —the largest in the world—awarded to a novel in the English language, was established by Dublin City Council and is awarded to both the author and the translator. The shortlisted books are nominated by a global network of libraries. Juan Gabriel Vásquez lived in Europe for 16 years before returning to his hometown, Bogotá in Colombia. He has published two further novels, *The Informers* and *The Secret History of Cotaguana*. His books have been translated into 15 languages. Juan Gabriel Vásquez receives the award at the ceremony. The novel was selected following an evaluation of 152 titles nominated by 150 libraries in 39 countries. The shortlist of ten novels selected by the judging panel included books from five continents, whilst Vásquez is the first South American author to win the prize in its 19-year history.Commenting on his award, Juan Gabriel Vásquez said: ‘For me, it is the names that matter: the names of the writers who received the same prize before me, and whose work I admire and appreciate, such as James Joyce. I have said in the past that two books made me want to become a writer: *One Hundred Years of Solitude*, which I read when I was 16, and *Ulysses*, which I read three years later. I have always felt a connection with Dublin and Irish literature, and in a way, this prize is a kind of welcome.”Vásquez’s novel has been honoured with the following awards, among others: Premio Alfaguarra 2011, English Pen Award 2012, Prix Roger Caillois 2012, Premio Von Rezzori 2013. The Greek edition, translated by Achilleas Kyriakidis, is published by Ikaros Publications on Tuesday 17 June 2014.