Maria Stepanova, an author of Russian-Jewish descent, has been honoured with the prestigious Leipzig Book Prize for European Understanding in the year 2023.

• Stepanova was recognised in Leipzig this week for her poetry collection titled Girls Without Clothes.
• The volume of poetry is characterised as a perceptive and exceptionally poetic exploration of the frequently veiled physical and emotional abuse that women face, along with the underlying power disparities that fuel this mistreatment.
• The Leipzig Book Award for European Understanding is one of the most prestigious literature prizes in Germany. It has been awarded annually since 1994 and comes with prize money of 20,000 euros.