The prize will be presented to her at a ceremony, October 19 in Bratislava.

Pia Tafdrup will be the guest of the Jan Smrek Festival 2009 from October 19 and will read her poems in Bratislava and in Trnava. Jan Smrek was one of the most beloved Slovak poets of the 20th century and the Jan Smrek Prize has been awarded since 1998 exclusively to non-Slovak, foreign poets.

Tafdrup is a Danish poet and author who has succeeded well in acquiring recognition outside Denmark. Her poetry has been translated into more than 30 languages; Dutch, English, French, and Hebrew only to mention a few. In 2009 she was elected member of The European Academy of Poetry. Since her debut in 1981 with Når der går hul på en engel, she has received numerous grants and literature prizes, latest the Nordic Council's Literature Prize in 1999 for the poetry collection Dronningeporten. In 2004 she made her debut as a novelist with the well-acclaimed novel Hengivelsen.

Marianne Barlyng, Danish Literature Info, about Tafdrup’s poetry:

“Tafdrup´s poems have an unmistakable tone of their own, but at the same time they are as varied as their subjects. Sometimes as clear as crystal, sometimes as dense and impenetrable as a mystery. For the poems throw light not only on the simple aspects but equally on the mystery of existence. Tafdrup´s world is neither a bed of roses nor of thorns. “