Author Salman Rushdie has been awarded a prestigious German prize for his literary work and for his resolve in the face of a "constant threat to his life". The Peace Prize of the German Book Trade for 2023 in a statement said that the author will receive the award in Frankfurt on October 22, reported DW.
The announcement was made on Salman Rushdie's 76th birthday.
The prize board in a statement said, "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, humour 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 award's Board of Trustees described Mr Rushdie as a "passionate defender of freedom of thought and expression - just as equally for himself as for those whose views he does not share."
He was awarded for "his indomitable spirit, for his affirmation of life and for enriching our world with his love of storytelling."
Mr Rushdie was in New York in August 2022 at a conference when a man stabbed him in the abdomen and the neck. After the attack, the author lost sight in one eye and the use of one of his hands.
In a statement after winning the award, Mr Rushdie said, "I am deeply honoured by, and grateful for this very important award. I can only thank the Jury for its generosity."
Meanwhile, the British author said that he is writing a book. In a pre-recorded Zoom appearance at the Hay Literary Festival, he said, "I'm trying to write a book about the attack on me - what happened and what it means, not just about the attack, but around it."
The award-winning author added, "It will be a relatively short book, a couple of hundred pages. It's not the easiest book in the world to write but it's something I need to get past in order to do anything else. I can't really start writing a novel that's got nothing to do with this ... So I just have to deal with it."
