The awards will be given in a ceremony in Austin, TX in January 2016.
The translation was published by Open Letter in 2014. The novel was first published in 2008 in Latvia, and in 2009 in Sweden too.
"One of Latvia’s most notable young writers, Ābele is a fresh voice in European fiction—her prose is direct, evocative, and exceptionally beautiful. The combination of strikingly lush descriptive writing with the precision with which she depicts the minds of her characters elevates this novel from a simple story of a love triangle into a fascinating, philosophical, haunting book," reads the jacket copy of the book.
Straumanis herself could be described as a colorful character - photos of different objects being thrown at her head went viral a while ago.
The award announcement by the publisher describes the competition Ābele and Straumanis faced - including translations of Dostoevsky, Marek Hlasko, Vasily Grossman, Sigizmund Krzhizhanovsky, and Tolstoy - as well as tips readers off about a huge 40% discount if you order through them.
