The Peace Prize of the German Book Trade for 2023 has been awarded to Indian-born British author Salman Rushdie, “for his indomitable spirit, for his affirmation of life and for enriching our world with his love of storytelling,” the award’s Board of Trustees said in a statement on Monday in Frankfurt am Main. “From the moment his masterpiece ‘Midnight’s Children’ was published in 1981, Salman Rushdie has awed us with his interpretations of migration and global politics. In his novels and nonfiction, he melds narrative foresight with unfailing literary innovation, humor and wisdom. His work chronicles the force used by oppressive regimes to destroy entire societies while also celebrating the indestructible spirit of resistance displayed by individual human beings,” the prize’s board added. The Associated Press has the story:
Salman Rushdie wins German Peace Prize
Newslooks- (AP)
Writer Salman Rushdie has been awarded a prestigious German prize for his literary work and for his resolve and positive attitude in the face of constant danger, the prize organizers said Monday.
The Peace Prize of the German Book Trade said the British-American author would receive the award in Frankfurt on Oct. 22.
Rushdie’s writing “combines narrative vision with constant literary innovation, humor and wisdom,” the jury said. “He describes the force with which violent regimes destroy whole societies, but also the indestructibility of the individual’s spirit of resistance.”
Last August, Rushdie was stabbed repeatedly while on stage at a literary festival in New York state.
“Despite massive physical and psychological consequences that he is still wrestling with, he continues to write — in an imaginative and deeply human way,” the German jury wrote. “We are honoring Salman Rushdie for his resolve, his positive attitude to life and for the fact that he enriches the world with his pleasure in narrating.”
Iran’s Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini had condemned as blasphemous passages referring to the Prophet Muhammad in Rushdie’s 1988 novel “The Satanic Verses.” Khomeini issued a decree the following year calling for Rushdie’s death, forcing the author into hiding, although he had been traveling freely for years before last summer’s stabbing.
The German prize, which is endowed with 25,000 euros ($27,350), has been awarded since 1950.
