DUSSELDORF, Germany, December 7 /PRNewswire/ -- The Kythera Award, founded in 2001 by the author and artist Gabriele Henkel, is awarded annually to particularly deserving artists with respect to cultural exchange between Germany and the Latin countries of Europe. The former recipients are publisher Klaus Wagenbach, film director Patrice Chéreau, conductor Claudio Abbado, architect Renzo Piano as well as art historian Dr. Sylvia Ferino in the K.H.M. in Vienna.

This year Claudio Magris, the Italian specialist in German studies, scholar and author is being honored with the 25,000 Euros Award by the Kythera-Kulturstiftung in Düsseldorf. This Award is granted in recognition of his many meritorious essays and books dealing with the topic of interaction between German and Italian culture and literature.

Claudio Magris, resident of Trieste, distinguishes himself in his writings by his clear, poetic style, as in "Donau - Biographie eines Flusses", "Die Welt en gros und en detail", and of which the novel "Blindlings", Hanser-Verlag, Munich 2007 is a further example.

Claudio Magris will receive his Award on December 10, 2007 in the Herkulessaal of the Palais Liechtenstein in Vienna.