Hungary‘s Libri Literary Awards 2025: Readers Choose the Year’s Best Books

The 2025 Libri Literary Awards in Hungary have celebrated the year’s most popular books, as determined by sales data reflecting the preferences of Hungarian readers.This year’s awards, which include categories ranging from fiction to gastronomy, highlight the diverse tastes shaping the nation’s literary landscape. The awards aim to provide authors with direct feedback from their audience, acknowledging achievements across various genres.

The Libri awards: A Reflection of Readership

The Libri Bookline Marketing and Communication Director emphasized the awards’ commitment to recognizing excellence across all genres, stating, “We love and represent all books-all styles, genres-and find excellent achievements in every category.” The awards are unique in that they are based purely on sales data, ensuring that the winners are chosen by the readers themselves.

The award system was revamped last year to focus on recognizing what people are actually reading. This approach, based on bestseller lists, ensures that the winners are decided solely by readers through their purchases. The goal is to give creators feedback directly from the reader, rather than from traditional literary criticism.

Did You Know? According to a 2023 report by Statista, book sales in europe have seen a steady increase in recent years, driven by both print and digital formats, indicating a strong and evolving reading culture Statista.

Orsolya Stefanie Ludvig, Director of Marketing and Communication, noted the positive feedback received from authors and readers following last year’s ceremony. She also pointed out that Hungary previously lacked a bestseller award based on sales data, a practice common internationally.

The categories have expanded further this year, reflecting on the transformation of the book market and the readers’ needs. The most popular psychology and gastronomic books were also awarded. We see that books on psychological themes enjoy enormous popularity, all year round are at the forefront of success lists

2025 Libri Literary Award winners

The 2025 Libri Literary Awards recognized outstanding works across various categories.Here’s a breakdown of the winners:

Special Prizes

• Libri Literary Memorial Award: Ottó Tolnai: Wilhelm songs (Jelenkor)
• Author Life Award (Children’s Literature): István Csukás and Ferenc Sajdik (illustrator)

The Impact of Reader Choice

Anna karády, co-author of Christmas in Lillafüred, expressed her excitement upon learning that their book had won “The most popular book of the year beyond the border” award. She emphasized the significance of the recognition, stating, “It is indeed happiness that our book has come so far-beyond our geographical boundaries. It is indeed touching that in Transylvania, in the Highlands, Vojvodina, Transcarpathia, anywhere in the world, were a Hungarian word sounds, it was possible to have a place on the bookshelves.”

Pro Tip: Engaging with readers through social media and online platforms can substantially boost a book’s visibility and sales, as highlighted by a 2024 study from WordsRated WordsRated.

Karády highlighted that this audience prize is more than just statistics; it’s feedback that they are on the right track. “A writer has no more pleasure than seeing that the quiet room lines are on the road and even cross the borders-this is the essence and power of literature.”

The Libri literary Awards’ new system demonstrates that the book market is sensitive to audience tastes alongside traditional literary standards.This sensitivity helps to better understand what Hungary reads today and why.

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