Jan Balabán’s novel Ask Your Father named book of the year

Jan Balabán’s novel Zeptej se táty, or Ask Your Father, has won the Magnesia Litera award for the book of the year 2011. The author Jan Balabán died last year at the age of 49, shortly after finishing the novel book. Poet Josef Hrubý was awarded for the best book of poetry, while Alžběta Skálová’s Pampe a Šinka got the prize for best children’s book. The award for best work of non-fiction went to Vladimír Papoušek, the author a new history of modern Czech art. The Magnesia Liteta awards were handed out in Prague’s Estates’ Theatre on Sunday.