Penn English Professor Awarded Janus Pannonius Prize for Poetry

Charles Bernstein, a University of Pennsylvania English professor, is the recipient of the 2015 Janus Pannonius Grand Prize for Poetry, along with Guiseppe Conte of Italy.

Founded in 2012, the award is modeled after the Nobel Prize for Literature, and is named after the first known and celebrated Hungarian poet. The award honors poets considered heirs to human spirituality and culture.

Bernstein and Conte were presented with their prize in both Italy and Hungary. On Aug. 27 in Milan, there was a reading of Bernstein’s and Conte’s work in the Hungarian Pavilion of Expo Milano. Their joint bilingual volume, “Tutto il whiskey in cielo/Tutto il meraviglioso in terra (“All the Whiskey in Heaven/All the Wonder of the World”) was also presented.

On Aug. 29, an award ceremony was held in Pécs, the birthplace of Pannonius. The event was in the courtyard of the Episcopal Palace.

The prize comes with 50,000 euros, or $56,405, which will be split between the two men.

This is the second major international poetry prize for Bernstein in 2015. He also won the Münster International Poetry Prize.

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