 "Salman Rushdie")
Widely acclaimed author Salman Rushdie, as per AP, has been honoured with the first 'Lifetime Disturbing the Peace Award' by the Vaclav Havel Center on November 14. This was Rushdie's unexpected public appearance since he was attacked during a literary festival in New York in August 2022.
Rushdie at 76, recipient of the Peace Prize of the German Book Trade last month, ended up getting another honour, considering the irony of being honoured for "disturbing the harmony." He considered which side of "the fence" this put him on.
Salman Rushdie on ‘Lifetime Disturbing the Peace Award’: The speech
During his speech, Rushdie commended Vaclav Havel, a dear friend and a powerful figure who backed him when he was forced into hiding following Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini's 1989 decree against his novel, 'The Satanic Verses'. Depicting Havel as a legend who was an exceptional artist and an activist, Rushdie communicated profound honour in getting an award in Havel's name.
The function, hosted by veteran CBS journalist Lesley Stahl, occurred at the Havel centre, before known as the Vaclav Havel Library Foundation. This centre, laid out in 2012 to propagate Havel's legacy, concentrates around pushing for human rights and free expression.
Lifetime Disturbing the Peace Award 2023: Abdel-Fattah's Courage Amidst Adversity
The 'Disturbing the Peace Award to a Courageous Writer at Risk' was presented upon Egyptian activist Alaa Abdel-Fattah. Despite being detained, Abdel-Fattah stays an image of opposition against Egypt's authoritarian regime.
Taking the award on behalf of her incarcerated nephew, acclaimed author Adhaf Soueif uncovered Abdel-Fattah's appreciation, especially for the name, "Disturbing the Peace." "He's very grateful. This really tickled him", she said.
Abdel-Fattah, going to be 42 soon, earned worldwide recognition during the 2011 pro-democracy uprisings in the Middle East. His repeated imprisonments under Abdel-Fattah el-Sissi's presidency represent the continuous battle against autocratic rule in Egypt.
Who is Salman Rushdie?
Sir Ahmed Salman Rushdie is an Indian-born British-American author. Salman lost his right eye vision and the utilization of one hand after being stabbed repeatedly on stage in August last year. On 8 January 2024, the man blamed for stabbing him, Hadi Matar, will stand trial.
Rushdie last month declared the publishing of a new memoir, named 'Knife: Meditations After an Attempted Murder'. In this book, he said it was a "necessary book" for him to write to "take charge of what happened, and to answer violence with art".
