»Filipenko is a relatable intellectual and a first-class writer who is gradually becoming known and appreciated in the West.«

»Sasha Filipenko is one of those young writers who immediately gained a reputation for being a serious author. If you want to get inside the head of modern, young Russia, read Filipenko.«

»Sasha Filipenko’s books are based on thorough documental research – material that he turns into fictional literature with linguistic innovation and acumen. Sasha Filipenko possesses the ability to depict dismal circumstances with powerful metaphors, rendering the absurdity of political and existential situations. With satire and finesse, he reconstructs the intimate and the mundane that lets humans persevere – or keeps them caught – in objectively unbearable situations. His humour is brilliant and conveys complex historical contexts to the readers, employing human fates as examples. By bestowing this award on Sasha Filipenko, the jury also wants to honour an author whose career has been marked by substantial personal and political risks. Both of which reflect in his writing. Sasha Filipenko is an invaluable witness who contributes, as an intermediary, to the understanding of the contemporary geopolitical situation.«