Brienne Award for Literature

[Holy Frankish Empire]

The Brienne Award for Literature is an award given to books once a year by a panel of academics, authors, and critics. The Brienne Award was first issued in 1884 and continued until 1946. The award was reintroduced last year and will continue to honor world literature by recognizing specific works of note. However, the panel may not select the books themselves. Instead, submissions must be presented by university departments. A university may nominate up to three books. However, these books must be in different categories*.

Brienne Award for Non-fiction

Brienne Award for Fiction

Brienne Award for History

Brienne Award for Poetry


Winners may receive awards of up to 4,000 Livre, a portion of which will be presented to the university.




*Histories may include biographies but not autobiographies. History books entered as Non-fiction will not be considered. Autobiographies should be entered in the Non-fiction category.




Entry Form

Title:
Author:
University and Department nominating:
Category:
Description or plot:















This is meant to be similar to a Pulitzer but less prestigious

 

[Tyonic Confederacy]

Title: Rache des Kriegerlords
Author: Unkown/Oral/ Father Waldstein (Monk who reportedly wrote down the epic)
University and Department nominating: University of Wettendurf, Department of Germania literature
Category: Poetry
Description or plot: Rediscovered in 1926 and almost finished in 1964, it was an epic poem, called Krieger Herr, written down by a Tiburan Catholic Monk in the year 1265 AD when it was originally told after an invading army of Norse warriors, , was defeated. The epic poem is a story about a famous warrior, Sigismund, who became famous during the war becoming a prominent lord before his death at the end of the poem. It starts 20 years before the war ends, when the protagonist becomes of age at the age of 16. The war had been going on for 30 years with little success. During that time Sigismund's father, Siegmund, dies in combat against the enemy. On that day he swore vengeance against the warrior lord Hlodvir, who executed his father. Since that day he trained with his elderly uncle, Thorwald, to become a skilled warrior and defeat Hlodvir. He became a warrior and ventured off to find and join what remained of the Geotrian Confederation, once arriving he fought his way through an entire troop of enemy before they were routed. The story was lost/damaged in the later half of the middle section but the general gist was that he quickly rose up the ranks of the army and was given a parcel of land for compensation. In the end he met his enemy of the battlefield, him and Hlodvir. Hlodvir used a cursed blade to try and win the advantage but the sheer rage of Sigismund overpowered him quickly. He cleaved off his head and threw it into the mass of the enemy and they knew that this man was unbeatable. However Hlodvir was much more cleaver than he originally thought, he had an archer hid in the treetops with a poisoned arrow aimed it Sigismund. After he won he was shoot in the back with the arrow, he later died from the poison afterwards. He fought for 18 years before he died, his story turned to legend.

 

[Pelasgia]

Title: The Heartache of Mary (Ὁ Καημὸς τῆς Μαρίας)
Author: Theochares "Charis" Sartzetakes
University and Department nominating: Academy of Anthene, Faculty of Philosophy
Category: Fiction
Description & Plot: Despite having been first printed and published in Pelasgia in 1954, it was not until 1956 that The Longing of Mary was first translated into another language, Kadikistani, due to its prohibition by the Propontine Authorities until mid-1956. The book's inclusion into the catalogue of prohibited books of the Ecumenical Patriarchate left it in legal limbo since the fall of the Junta, enabling the Academy of Anthene to push for its full legalisation. The book itself deals with the life of the Virgin Mary, with Mary Magdalene also playing a major role in its plot, building upon previous Christian-themed works of the author, who currently lives in exile in Chagny. The Virgin Mary is depicted as sad, spiteful against God and her fellow men, disappointed, and enraged, after the loss of a son to save a thankless humanity which did not want to be saved, in sharp contrast to the traditional image of the Mother of God. Mary Magdalene is implied to have unsuccessfully tried to pursue a intimate relationship with Christ, followed by her continued love and mourning for him after his death. Sartzetakes argues that these feelings and imperfections make both women much better archetypes of ideal, real women than those of any other female saint, philosopher, or historical person, as they do not stop Jesus from doing what he must, but they show that duty does not force a mother or any woman, or any human being for that matter, to renounce her natural emotions.

Title: State of Steel (Χαλύβδινο Κράτος)
Author: Vyzas Ioannides
University and Department nominating: Patriarchal Academy of Propontis, Faculty of Philosophy
Category: History
Description: Highly acclaimed in Pelasgia since its publication, State of Steel is widely considered to be the most detailed and honest investigation into the legal procedures and background of what its author termed a "lawful tyranny". Analysing the lawful steps of the Militarists from the beginning of the century, into the 1920s, and up until 1956, to establish the Propontine Junta of 1924-1956, State of Steel demonstrates how a determined, powerful, and respected faction can take advantage of a complacent citizenry, a compliant civil administration, a history of authoritarianism, financial and social tension, and otherwise well-intentioned laws to gradually seize control over a state and intimidate or otherwise silence all opposition to its efforts. Considered by many to be valid critique of Pelasgia's lack of distinction between the government and the military, especially in the case of the monarchy, it has been dismissed by others as "an attempt to shift the blame for the Junta away from the Liberals and the Conservatives to the whole nation".

Title: Historica (Ἱστορικά)
Author: Eugenios Memphites
University and Department nominating: Patriarchal Academy of Our Lady the Preserver of Edessa on the Orontes, Faculty of Philosophy
Category: Poetry
Description: A collection of historical poems by renowned Pelasgian poet Eugenios Memphites, spanning twenty-four books, each named after a single letter of the Pelasgian alphabet, as has been the tradition with Pelasgian epics since the Illiad. The epic in question deals not with a single chapter in Pelasgian history, but with all of Pelasgian history until the fall, spanning from the Leontian era right into the 19th century. Written strictly in Koine Pelasgian, the book is hard to decipher, its style of verse and choice of vocabulary moving from Homeric into Classical, Pelasgistic, Propontine, and Neo-Pelasgian, while over two hundred words from various forms of Pelasgian which can be found in no dictionary are included in it, thanks to the author's own glossological work in the Academy.

 

[Sheridan]

Title: Himyar: A People's History
Author: Farid M. Bahar
University and Department nominating: University of Wadestone, Department of Literary Studies
Category: History
Description or plot: A fantastic piece written by a man who once commanded men in the Revolution. Now much too old for fighting, Farid M. Bahar has become something of a renowned writer. This particular piece is mandatory reading for History majors in our University. Himyar: A People's History tells the often untold story of the many native inhabitants of this great continent. The many different tribes of Uroduah and Nethians once were the only occupants of this great continent. However, as ancient empires reached across the Long Sea, Germanians and Gallians began to migrant further and further south. Unfortunately, many of these great people's stories were seemingly destroyed after their cultures were assimilated into broader nation states. What Farid Mukarram Bahar tries to do in this work is piece together and tell the tale of Himyar's history from the view point of its original inhabitants. It also touches a little on modern history, examining the consequences of Germano-Gallian migration on areas such as Tizona where race relations are in shoddy shape. As well as areas like Sheridan where there was more assimilation from the Germano-Gallian migrant's end.

 

[Telora]

Title: Legislatures and Legislation
Author: Professor A. R. Reinfeldt
University and Department nominating: Federal University, Department of Politics
Category: Non-fiction
Description or plot: Professor Reinfeldt's study of legislatures represents the culmination of a decade's work on understanding these central organs of the state. Supported by extensive field research in several European countries, the book aims to comprehensively understand and contextualise the role, work and standing of legislative bodies - particularly at the national level - in modern Europe. It broadly divides them into three categories - dominant, co-equal, and subservient - and argues that each role can be determined as much by the legislature and its members as any outside factor.

Title: A Minstrel's Tale
Author: Mr Konstantin Pats
University and Department nominating: University of Aaland, Department of Literature
Category: Fiction
Description or plot: A Minstrel's Tale is the story of how a travelling entertainer in the late Middle Ages threads his way through the lives of his counterparts, rich and poor. It invites the reader to consider the spoken and unspoken bonds that can either draw together or pull apart individuals, despite the presence of formal hierarchies, explored primarily through the changing songs and poems dreamt up by the central character. Throughout the book, he falls in love, struggles with the material challenges of that world, and seeks to continue his craft through an apprentice - yet he himself does not achieve greatness, only observes it in passing through his wandering life.

Title: Hymns of Stone
Author: Dr A. Ruskin
University and Department nominating: University of Aaland, Department of Art
Category: History
Description or plot: This work represents the most comprehensive survey and history of Teloran gothic architecture yet compiled. It seeks to tell the story of the development, maturity, and later decline of this style in Telora, in both the temporal and spiritual fields. Dr Ruskin's work contextualises this development within the wider European story of Gothic at the time, and argues comprehensively that Teloran Gothic is not, as many have previously said, merely an "appendix" to wider European trends, but rather a fully formed and influential school of design in its own right. To evidence this, he has assembled a fiercesome range of documentary and photographic evidence, as well as a warm, relatable tone.

 

[Serenierre]

Title: Destroying Serazinism: A Study on the Restoration of the Throne
Author: Nicolas, Duc de Rousette
University and Department nominating: Royal University of Serenierre in Chagny
Category: Non-fiction
Description or plot: Noted aristocrat from the exiled Serenierrese ruling class investigates the arguments for and against restoring the throne of Serenierre under the Grand Duke of Bourgogne. The work has included a detailed account of the causes of the revolution in Serenierre, the Grand Ducal family's links to the deposed royal house of Serenierre, and examines the strength of HRH Grand Duke of Bourgogne's claim to the throne.

 

[Holy Frankish Empire]

Submissions will close on the 25th

 

[Korystia]

Title: Islam in Korystia and the Enrichment of Korystian Culture
Author: Oles Nazar
University and Department nominating: University of Zhabche, Department of Culture
Category: Non-fiction
Description or plot: In this piece, Oles Nazar delves into the role of Islam in Korystian society. This work highlights the important time periods of Islamic enrichment in Korystia and how Islam plays a role in the influence of Korystian culture, and how Islam came to Korystia. The narrative also explained what Muslims experienced through times of war and hardship in Korystia.

Title: The Tree that Sprouted Three Ways
Author: Yura Pylyp
University and Department nominating: University of Iserlia, Department of Literature
Category: Fiction
Description or plot: This piece by Yura Pylyp tells three folk tales in a unique, more mature way. This collection has moments of intensity and energy, that can keep a reader's eyes glued to a page. The first story tells the tale of a dragon-keeper named Gleb, who is the king's official dragon-keeper. Gleb is eventually framed for a crime he didn't do, and is forced to flee town with all of his dragons. While on the run from the king's men, Gleb discovers that he was framed by a member in the royal committee of the king. The tale ends grimly however, with Gleb finally being caught and executed. However, before he is beheaded, Gleb releases details of the scandal, which causes the kingdom to rebel against the king. In total, the first tale in this collection excels in making the reader doubt the legitimacy of the government. The second tale consists of a peasant named Konstantyn, who produces saddles for the king's army. The story entices the reader with many sequences of sadness and desolation, while sometimes surprising the reader with a hopeful moment. Eventually, Konstantyn leads a rebellion in his town. However, the king's men are unable to stop Konstantyn, due to the faulty saddles that were made by Konstantyn fallig apart on the horses. Eventually, Konstantyn makes it to the capital and exposes the royal committee's exploits towards lower class citkzens. The final tale tells the story of a boy named Serhiy, who is sent into the Korystian plains to spread his father's ashes. However, he gets lost and and runs into a village, where he is taken prisoner. The tale inspires feelings of motivation in the reader as the tale showcases the boy's escape among impossible odds.

Title: A Compendium
Author: Yevhen Mykyta
University and Departments nominating: University of Letvin, Department of Poetry.
Category: Poetry
Description or plot: A collection of poems written by Yevhen Mykyta, a poet who pioneered the genre in Korystia. The collection was written during a vacation in the Abuslar forest in northern Korystia. While there, Mykyta wrote down his poems while sitting in a chair in the middle of the forest, alone with his thoughts. The peacefulness of the forest allowed Mykyta to create 20 collections of poems, all handwritten, each book containing beautifully written poems, with each word smoothly fitting in with another. Some poems were written in Savchyn, an ancient language that was prominent in the north but that is now rarely used. The poems range from describing wildlife, to long stories about a mountain tribe.

 

[Rheinbund]

Title: Die Wahnsinn Newtons (Newton’s maddness).
Author: Dr. Harald Laans.
University and department nominating: Staatsuniversität Marburg, medizinische Fakultät, Fachschaft Neurologie.
Category: Non-fiction.
Description: Sir Isaac Newton is known to the world for his influence on science. There were two periods in his life, however, in which he suffered from a mental state close to a psychosis. Neurologist Dr. Laans describes these two periods in his book, and describes the cause of these two periods of madness in Newtons life: Mercury poisoning. This is the first of 22 remarkable stories about neurological patients that Dr. Laans describes in this book. He describes the search for a diagnosis as if he were a detective, and also describes what can be done against the diseases of these patients and what not.

Title: Pilgerzug (Pilgrimage).
Author: Reinhard Marowski.
University and department nominating: Staatsuniversität Aurich, Fakultät der Philologie, Fachschaft Deutsch.
Category: Fiction.
Description: This is the story of a young man from the Eiffellandian island Helgoland. It is 3 o’clock in the morning, he just drove his car into the ditch while being drunk. “My head is lying on the steering wheel. It got there with a hard bash, but I don’t feel pain.” It is the start of the novel, in which the main character contemplates about his disconsolate jounrney from pub to pub during the night, as well as about how up to now time and time again the communication with other people failed. He loves the island where he lives, but it is foreign to him. Time and time again he is confronted with the contrariety of his feelings, because he doesn’t understand his existence. He has a ticket to emigrate from the island, but he cannot decide to actually make the move. The novel ends with a song of praise for the island, and then it is 3 o’clock in the morning again.

Title: Die Ballade vom Nachahmungstrieb und andere Gedichte (The Ballad of the Urge to Mimic and Other Poems).
Author: Erich Kästner.
University and department nominating: Katholische Universität Köln, Fakultät der Philologie, Fachschaft Deutsch.
Category: Poetry.
Description: “We just did it like the adults do it,” said the child Karl after he and his friends hanged a boy as part of a game in which the boy was a convicted robber. In this poem, Kästner makes clear how children copy the behaviour and deeds of the adults without reflecting about it. Erich Kästner is an Eiffellandian writer, poet and scenarist, known for his criticism of society and for his humor. This book bundles about 200 of his poems, among others Die Ballade vom Nachahmungstrieb.



OOC: All three books are based on really existing books. Neurologist Harold L. Klawans wrote Newton’s Madness about several patients with neurological diseases, among others Sir Isaac Newton. Tip Marugg was a writer from the Dutch Antiles; he wrote a.o. the book Weekendpelgrimage, which I used here. Erich Kästner was a German writer and poet; his poem Die Ballade vom Nachahmungstrieb was really about a group of children who hanged another child as part of a game, after which one of the children said: “We just did it like the adults do it.”

 

[Holy Frankish Empire]

Winners will be announced in the next week.

 

[Holy Frankish Empire]

Brienne Award for Non-fiction

Title: Islam in Korystia and the Enrichment of Korystian Culture
Author: Oles Nazar
University and Department nominating: University of Zhabche, Department of Culture
Category: Non-fiction
Description or plot: In this piece, Oles Nazar delves into the role of Islam in Korystian society. This work highlights the important time periods of Islamic enrichment in Korystia and how Islam plays a role in the influence of Korystian culture, and how Islam came to Korystia. The narrative also explained what Muslims experienced through times of war and hardship in Korystia.

Brienne Award for Fiction

Title: Pilgerzug (Pilgrimage).
Author: Reinhard Marowski.
University and department nominating: Staatsuniversität Aurich, Fakultät der Philologie, Fachschaft Deutsch.
Category: Fiction.
Description: This is the story of a young man from the Eiffellandian island Helgoland. It is 3 o’clock in the morning, he just drove his car into the ditch while being drunk. “My head is lying on the steering wheel. It got there with a hard bash, but I don’t feel pain.” It is the start of the novel, in which the main character contemplates about his disconsolate jounrney from pub to pub during the night, as well as about how up to now time and time again the communication with other people failed. He loves the island where he lives, but it is foreign to him. Time and time again he is confronted with the contrariety of his feelings, because he doesn’t understand his existence. He has a ticket to emigrate from the island, but he cannot decide to actually make the move. The novel ends with a song of praise for the island, and then it is 3 o’clock in the morning again.




Brienne Award for History

Title: State of Steel (Χαλύβδινο Κράτος)
Author: Vyzas Ioannides
University and Department nominating: Patriarchal Academy of Propontis, Faculty of Philosophy
Category: History
Description: Highly acclaimed in Pelasgia since its publication, State of Steel is widely considered to be the most detailed and honest investigation into the legal procedures and background of what its author termed a "lawful tyranny". Analysing the lawful steps of the Militarists from the beginning of the century, into the 1920s, and up until 1956, to establish the Propontine Junta of 1924-1956, State of Steel demonstrates how a determined, powerful, and respected faction can take advantage of a complacent citizenry, a compliant civil administration, a history of authoritarianism, financial and social tension, and otherwise well-intentioned laws to gradually seize control over a state and intimidate or otherwise silence all opposition to its efforts. Considered by many to be valid critique of Pelasgia's lack of distinction between the government and the military, especially in the case of the monarchy, it has been dismissed by others as "an attempt to shift the blame for the Junta away from the Liberals and the Conservatives to the whole nation".

Brienne Award for Poetry

Title: A Compendium
Author: Yevhen Mykyta
University and Departments nominating: University of Letvin, Department of Poetry.
Category: Poetry
Description or plot: A collection of poems written by Yevhen Mykyta, a poet who pioneered the genre in Korystia. The collection was written during a vacation in the Abuslar forest in northern Korystia. While there, Mykyta wrote down his poems while sitting in a chair in the middle of the forest, alone with his thoughts. The peacefulness of the forest allowed Mykyta to create 20 collections of poems, all handwritten, each book containing beautifully written poems, with each word smoothly fitting in with another. Some poems were written in Savchyn, an ancient language that was prominent in the north but that is now rarely used. The poems range from describing wildlife, to long stories about a mountain tribe.


St. Florian University Award for Outstanding Scholarship

Title: Legislatures and Legislation
Author: Professor A. R. Reinfeldt
University and Department nominating: Federal University, Department of Politics
Category: Non-fiction
Description or plot: Professor Reinfeldt's study of legislatures represents the culmination of a decade's work on understanding these central organs of the state. Supported by extensive field research in several European countries, the book aims to comprehensively understand and contextualise the role, work and standing of legislative bodies - particularly at the national level - in modern Europe. It broadly divides them into three categories - dominant, co-equal, and subservient - and argues that each role can be determined as much by the legislature and its members as any outside factor.

 

[Rheinbund]

Staatsuniversität Aurich
Fakultät der Philologie
Fachschaft Deutsch

We are proud and delighted that the Brienne Award for Literature was awarded to Reinhard Marowski. He indicates that he considers this award a stimulation to continue with his efforts as a novelist.

 

[Pelasgia]

Πατριαρχικὴ Ἀκαδημία Προποντίδος
Φιλοσοφικὴ Σχολή
Τμῆμα Ἱστορίας καὶ Ἀρχαιολογίας

​

To whom it may concern,

We are delighted to hear of Professor Ioannides's receiving the Brienne Award for his book Chalyvdino Kratos and we are confident that this distinction will encourage him, as well as other members of the Pelasgian academic community, to continue their hard but important work in the fields of history, law, and political science.

The President of the Department of History and Archaeology,
Ἀρίσταρχος Θεοδοσίου Γραμματικόπουλος

 

[Telora]

Office of the Vice-Chancellor
Federal University, Telor City

Professor Reinfeldt is extremely gratified to be awarded the St. Florian University Award for Outstanding Scholarship, and will travel to St. Florian University himself to collect the award at a mutually agreed date.

 

[Korystia]

University of Letvin
Department of Poetry

We here at the University of Letvin are extremely pleased to hear that Professor Mykyta's work has won an award. We hope that A Compendium will inspire young Korystian poets to always be unique and to always accept a challenge.

Yours Truly,

The President of the Department of Poetry, University of Letvin

Kyrylo Yevgen

 

[Korystia]

University of Zhabche
Department of Culture

We are elated that Nazar's work has been awarded with a Brienne Award for Literature. We are sure that this honor will inspire more Korystians, whether they are Zhabche or beyond, to create more novels that will enrich minds across the world.

Yours Truly,

The President of the Department of Culture, University of Zhabche

Yosyp Syvatoslav