Writers Salwa Bakr and Denny JA Receive First BRICS Literary Award, IDR 200 Million
CAIRO—Writers Salwa Bakr from Egypt and Denny JA from Indonesia received the first BRICS literary award.
The Indonesian winner received IDR 200 million and the Egyptian winner IDR 600,000, respectively, including a plaque and a book souvenir.
The prestigious literary award was officially presented on Saturday, January 24, 2026, in the International Hall of the Cairo International Book Fair, Egypt.
In attendance was the Executive Director of the BRICS Award, Aleksander Okstovich, accompanied by the Executive Director of the BRICS Literature Network, Vadim Terekhin, and the BRICS Egypt Coordinator, Douha Mostafa.
The winners were selected based on the voting results of an international jury of professional authors.
The award went through several stages: the announcement of more than 30 names from the Long List in Brazil, 10 shortlist nominees in Jakarta, Indonesia, and the announcement of the two top winners in Russia.
Arabic Literary Figures
Salwa Bakr is known as one of the leading literary figures writing in Arabic.
She has written seven novels, seven short story collections, and a play, which have been translated into various languages, including European ones.
In his remarks, Vadim emphasized that the awarding of the first BRICS literary award signals that the literature of BRICS member countries remains an integral part of the global cultural space.
“We hope that Salwa Bakr and Denny JA will be the beginning of a long and successful journey in the literary world, and a prologue to recognition not only in the BRICS countries, but also worldwide,” he said.
Their work will be translated into 10 languages.
Salwa, who won the main award, expressed disappointment that the Egyptian Ministry of Culture did not attend or even send a representative.
She felt that the novel that won the BRICS Literary Award actually elevates Egyptian culture.
Meanwhile, the special award “For Innovation in Literature” was given to Indonesian writer Denny JA for his outstanding contribution to the development of the essay poetry genre, which combines factual and lyrical elements.
In his speech, Denny JA emphasized the role of literature and culture in the global world. He also explained his struggle to find a new genre of essay poetry that combines imagination, facts, and data, thus gaining international recognition.
As read by Sastri Bakry, BRICS Indonesia Literary Coordinator, Denny was carrying out an unscheduled task.
“World literature today is still heavily influenced by Western traditions. This is history, not hostility. From ordinary life, there are extraordinary stories waiting to be heard. From Egypt, a land that taught humanity how to remember, I am reminded of why we write. We write so that suffering is not erased by time. We innovate so that language can continue to heal,” said Denny JA.
To young writers from the Global South, Denny advised them to keep writing, because the local will become global over time.
May BRICS continue to thrive, not only in economics, trade, and politics, but also in the moral and cultural future of our shared humanity.
The awards ceremony, held in one of the International Halls at the Cairo Book Fair, was attended by authors, literary figures, journalists, and BRICS representatives from Russia, Egypt, and Indonesia, as well as Indonesian students visiting the book fair.
The BRICS Literary Awards were established in 2024 within the “Traditional Values” forum.
The aim of the awards is to encourage intercultural dialogue and the dissemination of traditional values through literature. (***)
Contributor: Lasman Simanjuntak
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