Irena Brežná

Irena Brežná (born 26 February 1950) is a Slovak-Swiss writer, journalist and human rights activist writing in German.

Early life and education Irena Brežná was born on 26 February 1950, in Bratislava. She grew up in Trenčín. She worked as a psychologist and translated from Russian into German. She was also awarded the Slovak Dominik Tatarka Award (2016) and Hermann Kesten Prize (2021). Her journalist work has brought her Emma-Journalistinnen-Preis, Theodor Wolff Prize and Zürcher Journalistenpreis. In 2024, she was awarded the Order of Friendship by the Chechen government in exile for her support of Chechnya.

Brežná lives in Basel.

Publications

Ірэна Брэжна. Найлепшы з усіх светаў : Раман / пераклад з нямецкай Лізаветы Касмач (in Belarusian). — Вільня: Логвінаў, 2015. — 126 с.