Tokarczuk wins Nike literary award

Olga Tokarczuk has been awarded with one of the most prestigious Polish literary awards, the Nike prize, for her  1,000 page-long novel "Księgi Jakubowe" ("Book of Jacob"). The book tells the story of Jacob Frank, a real historical figure, who lived in the eighteenth century in the region of Podole, and was a self-proclaimed Messiah. “It is hard to assess him unambiguously, the figure was ambivalent and controversial. He is remembered in very different ways: supporters [remember him], as a beautiful, tall, charismatic man; [while his] opponents – as an ugly hunchback who couldn't cobble a sentence together,” Tokarczuk said. Tokarczuk won the Nike prize for the second time. In 2008, she received the award for her book "Bieguni".