Drago Jančar, the internationally acclaimed Slovenian author, won the Prozart Award at the 11th international literary festival Pro-Za Balkan in Skopje, North Macedonia.

The jury described him as an author with a sharp sense for modern narration and the skill to write original fiction in the Slovenian and Balkan literary environments.

Jančar, 75, is a novelist, playwright and essayist who has a strong influence both in the literary world and on his readers, the jury saaid. His works have been translated into 33 languages and published in Europe, Asia and the US.

"If a person writes for so many years, some awards happen too. But this one is different," Jančar said when he received the award at the festival, running between 17 and 19 September.

"This award is especially close to my heart because a large part of my life is connected to the Balkans, in good ways and bad," he added.

Jančar noted his special bond with North Macedonia, remembering an excellent production of his play The Great Brilliant Waltz, recent publications of his works, and the friends he has in the country.

The Pro-Za Balkan festival brings together writers from the Balkans and other parts of the world every year. Jančar is the first Slovenian to win the Prozart Award.

He has received many awards in Slovenia and abroad, including the Prešeren Prize, the Kresnik Prizes for the novel of the year for four of his books and the Kresnik Prize for the novel of the decade for I Saw Her That Night.

He has also won the European Short Story Award of Augsburg (1994), the Herder Prize for Literature (2003) and the Austrian State Prize for European Literature (2020), among others.