Salman Rushdie wins German Book Trade 2023 Peace Prize

Tags: Awards

The Peace Prize of the German Book Trade for 2023 has been awarded to British-American author Salman Rushdie.

An Overview of the News

• Birth and Background: Salman Rushdie was born on June 19, 1947 in Bombay (now Mumbai), India.

• The Satanic Verses: Rushdie achieved international recognition through his controversial 1988 novel, The Satanic Verses.

• Inspiration and controversy: The novel attracted widespread attention and generated significant controversy in Muslim society for its portrayal inspired by the life of the Islamic prophet Muhammad.

• Fatwa issued: Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini issues a fatwa against Salman Rushdie because of the publication of The Satanic Verses.

History of the Peace Prize of the German Book Trade

• It was established in 1950 and the award recognizes individuals who have made significant contributions to the promotion of international understanding between nations and cultures through their literary works.

• The prize is endowed with €25,000 ($27,300).

• The award ceremony takes place in October during the Frankfurt Book Fair, one of the largest and most important book fairs in the world.

• The purpose of the award is to encourage efforts to promote peace, dialogue and cooperation.

• Past recipients of the award include Margaret Atwood, Orhan Pamuk, Susan Sontag, Amos Oz, and Vaclav Havel.

• Last year, the Peace Prize of the German Book Trade was awarded to Ukrainian author Serhiy Zhadan.

List of famous books by Salman Rushdie:

• Midnight's Children

• Shame

• The Satanic Verses

• fury

• Shalimar The Clown

• The Golden House

• Quichotte

• Victory City