This year's winner of the Peace Prize of the German Book Trade 2023 is Mumbai-born writer Salman Rushdie.
Born on 19 June 1947 in Bombay (now Mumbai, India), Sir Salman Ahmed Rushdie is one of the outstanding writers of contemporary English-language literature. His works, which have been translated into more than 40 languages, often combine magical realism with historical fiction. They cover topics such as connections, migration, and cultural differences between Eastern and Western civilizations, and are often set on the Indian subcontinent. In addition to novels, Rushdie also writes short stories, travelogues, essays and journalistic contributions.
The well-known writer Salman Rushdie received the Peace Prize of the German Book Trade on his 76th birthday. (Symbolic photo) © i-Images/Pool/Imago
Salman Rushdie celebrated his 76th birthday on the day of the announcement and was delighted to receive the award. His breakthrough came with the book "Midnight Children" (promotional link), which was awarded the prestigious Booker Prize in 1981. In it, he tells the story of India's secession from the British Empire.
Stay up to date on new releases and book tips with the free newsletter from our partner 24books.de.
I am very honored and grateful for this important award. I can only thank the jury for their generosity. I know how significant this award is, and I am a little intimidated by the list of previous winners that my name will now join. I'm really looking forward to it.
Salman Rushdie
From 2004 to 2006, Salman Rushdie held the position of President of the PEN American Center and was then Chairman of the PEN World Voices International Literary Festival for ten years. His literary work and his social commitment have been honored with numerous international awards. In 2007, he was made a Knight Bachelor by Queen Elizabeth II and knighted.
Salman Rushdie plans book about assassination attempt
0
Also Read
The best book tips and bestsellers: A summary of the must-reads of 2023
READ
BookTok hit becomes a movie: "It Ends With Us" by Colleen Hoover
READ
Book Tips: Ten Classics You Should Definitely Have Read Once
READ
Don Winslow "City on Fire": Prelude to a Mafia Trilogy – End of an Author
READ
Corpses, lavender and laissez-faire: five crime novels set in Provence
READMone area
Salman Rushdie was stabbed by an assailant on stage at an event in upstate New York on August 12, 2022, shortly after completing his novel "Victory City" and suffered life-threatening injuries. Although Rushdie survived the assassination attempt, he lost an eye and his writing hand was permanently impaired. The release of "Victory City" in early 2023, a utopian story that deals with themes such as abuse of power and love and tells of a remarkable rise and fall of a city, was given an additional oppressive dimension by the attack, which is anchored in today's reality.
In early June 2023, Salman Rushdie announced that he wanted to write a book about the assassination attempt that was perpetrated on him, according to Penguin Verlag.