Jerusalem Prize

Summary

The Jerusalem Prize for the Freedom of the Individual in Society is a biennial literary award given to writers whose works have dealt with themes of human freedom in society.[1]

Jerusalem Prize
Jerusalem Mayor Teddy Kollek (r) handing French author André Schwarz-Bart the 1967 Jerusalem Prize for Literature
Awarded forwriters whose works have dealt with themes of human freedom in society
LocationIsrael
Presented byOrganisers of the Jerusalem International Book Forum
First awarded1963; 61 years ago (1963)

It is awarded at the Jerusalem International Book Forum (previously known as the Jerusalem International Book Fair), and the recipient usually delivers an address when accepting the award. The award is valued at $10,000.

The prize's inaugural year was 1963, awarded to Bertrand Russell who had won the Nobel Prize in 1950. Octavio Paz, V. S. Naipaul, J. M. Coetzee, and Mario Vargas Llosa all won the Jerusalem Prize prior to winning the Nobel Prize in Literature.

In the intervening even-numbered years there is also a National Jerusalem Prize to promote local Israeli authors. For example, in 1994 the Jerusalem Prize was won by Naomi Gal.

List of laureates edit

Year Picture Name Nationality Language(s) Genre(s) Refs
1963   Bertrand Russell
(1872—1970)
United Kingdom English philosophy, essay
1965   Max Frisch
(1911—1991)
Switzerland German drama, novel, philosophy
1967   André Schwarz-Bart
(1928—2006)
France French novel
1969   Ignazio Silone
(1900—1978)
Italy Italian novel, short story, essay
1971   Jorge Luis Borges
(1899—1986)
Argentina Spanish short story, poetry, essay, philosophy, literary criticism, translation
1973   Eugène Ionesco
(1909—1994)
Romania / France French drama, novel
1975   Simone de Beauvoir
(1908—1986)
France French philosophy, novel, drama
1977   Octavio Paz
(1914—1998)
Mexico Spanish poetry, essay
1979   Isaiah Berlin
(1909—1997)
Russia / United Kingdom English philosophy, essay
1981   Graham Greene
(1904—1991)
United Kingdom English novel, short story, autobiography, drama, essay, screenplay
1983   Vidiadhar Surajprasad Naipaul
(1932—2018)
Trinidad and Tobago / United Kingdom English novel, short story, essay
1985   Milan Kundera
(1929–2023)
Czechoslovakia / France Czech / French novel, short story, poetry, essay, drama
1987   John Maxwell Coetzee
(b. 1940)
South Africa / Australia English novel, essay, translation
1989   Ernesto Sabato
(1911—2011)
Argentina Spanish novel, essay
1991   Zbigniew Herbert
(1924—1998)
Poland Polish poetry, essay, drama
1993   Stefan Heym
(1913—2001)
Germany German / English novel, short story, autobiography, essay
1995   Mario Vargas Llosa
(b. 1936)
Peru / Spain Spanish novel, short story, essay, drama, memoirs
1997   Jorge Semprún
(1923—2011)
Spain French / Spanish novel, essay
1999   Don DeLillo
(b. 1936)
United States English novel, short story, drama, screenplay, essay
2001   Susan Sontag
(1933—2004)
United States English short story, novel, drama, essay
2003   Arthur Miller
(1915—2005)
United States English drama, screenplay, essay
2005   António Lobo Antunes
(b. 1942)
Portugal Portuguese novel
2007   Leszek Kołakowski
(1927—2009)
Poland Polish philosophy, history
2009   Haruki Murakami
(b. 1949)
Japan Japanese novel, short story
2011   Ian McEwan
(b. 1948)
United Kingdom English novel, short story, drama, screenplay [2]
2013   Antonio Muñoz Molina
(b. 1956)
Spain Spanish novel [3]
2015   Ismail Kadare
(b. 1936)
Albania Albanian novel, short story, poetry, essay, drama, screenplay [4]
2017   Karl Ove Knausgaard
(b. 1968)
Norway Norwegian novel, autobiography [5]
2019   Joyce Carol Oates
(b. 1938)
United States English novel, short story, drama, essay, memoirs, poetry
2021   Julian Barnes
(b. 1946)
United Kingdom English novel, essay, memoirs, short story [6]

References edit

  1. ^ "The Jerusalem Prize". The Jerusalem International Book Forum. Retrieved 4 March 2022.
  2. ^ "Israel boycotters target authors, artists". Ynetnews. Associated Press. 5 March 2011. Retrieved 23 March 2011.
  3. ^ "Spanish author Antonio Munoz Molina to receive Jerusalem Prize at book fair". JTA. January 9, 2013. Retrieved January 9, 2013.
  4. ^ Wojno, Rebecca (January 15, 2015). "Albanian writer to receive Jerusalem Prize". The Times of Israel.
  5. ^ Izikovich, Gili (May 28, 2017). "Karl Ove Knausgaard Named 2017 Laureate for Jerusalem Prize in Literature". Haaretz.
  6. ^ "Barnes Wins Jerusalem Prize". Locus Online. 4 May 2021. Retrieved 25 May 2021.

External links edit

  • Jerusalem Prize at the Jerusalem International Book Forum