Literary and Translation Prizes in the Cultural Transfer Process. The Path Towards Ultimate Consecration

In this article, the importance of literary prizes and literary translation prizes is investigated by following the phases of the cultural transfer process. Starting with a reflection on consecration and canonisation in connection to literary prizes, various descriptions of the cultural transmitter are discussed. The article demonstrates that local, national and international literary prizes contribute to the cultural transfer process and that translation prizes, awarded after the successful cultural transfer of a literary work, enable further success in the field of world literature, which might bring the writer ultimate consecration. One condition of such success is that, at some point in the cultural transfer process, the literary work is translated into English. The article concludes that, despite their invisibility in the literary field as described by Bourdieu and others, cultural transmitters and literary prizes are decisive factors in the cultural transfer process.