Maria Stepanova (Harriman Writer in Residence Spring 2022) is the 2023 laureate of the Berman Literature Prize, which is awarded to an author who, regardless of background or genre, has worked in the spirit of the Jewish tradition. The prize comes with a purse of SEK 750,000

Stepanova is currently a fellow at Columbia’s Institute of Imagination and Ideas (Paris).

“Maria Stepanova is being awarded the 2023 Berman Literature Prize for her genre-transcending family saga In Memory of Memory. With winding, finely honed prose she breathes life into pictures, objects, places and documents, in a portrayal of the transformative power of memory, both for individuals and for forgotten collectives.”