Magvető and Libri were chosen by a secret ballot of members of the Association of Hungarian Publishers and Booksellers (MKKE).
Also on Sunday, the local council of Budapest?s District XII awarded its Buda Prize to Zoltán Attila Kovács for his book ?The Laughing Transylvania?.
MKKE chairman László Péter Zentai said the International Book Festival of Budapest had attracted about 50,000 visitors during its four days. He added that it had been ?an island of peace? during the period of campaigning between the two rounds of Hungary?s parliamentary elections, which concluded on Sunday.
Spain was the guest of honour at this year?s book festival and the festival?s main prize, the Budapest Grand Prix, was granted to Spanish author Jorge Semprún. The other special festival guest, Kyrgyz writer Chingiz Aitmatov, received the Order of Merit, Officer?s Cross, one of Hungary?s highest state awards from President László Sólyom at the festival?s opening.
Guest authors from 23 countries attended the festival, but the most authors arrived from Germany. As part of the Berliner Zimmer programme, 13 writers with connections to Berlin were introduced at the literary café that operated next to the German stand.
President Sólyom dubbed the festival, which took place at the Budapest Congress Centre, a ?gigantic bookshop?, where 550 publishers presented 45-50,000 books, including 300 which were published to coincide with the festival.
Among the most popular of the 250 events at the festival was a reading by Nobel laureate Hungarian author Imre Kertész and programmes organised by the Berliner Zimmer. Long lines of readers also formed at book signings by Semprún and Aitmatov, as well as by Hungary?s Magda Szabó.
Source: Hungarian Press Agency (MTI)
