Literanista
June 28, 2007
Asturias Prize
The Israeli author Amos Oz, below, was named the winner yesterday of the $65,000 2007 Prince of Asturias award for literature, given by the Prince of Asturias Foundation and named for its patron, Crown Prince Felipe of Asturias, heir to the Spanish throne, Agence France-Presse reported. The jury said that Mr. Oz had “fashioned the Hebrew language into a brilliant instrument for literary art and the truthful disclosure of the most dire and universal realities of our time, focusing especially on advocating peace amongst peoples and condemning all forms of fanaticism.” His books include “Where the Jackals Howl and Other Stories” and “My Michael.”
Previous winners include Mario Vargas Llosa, Günter Grass, Doris Lessing, Arthur Miller and Paul Auster. … The Mexican writer Elena Poniatowska has been awarded the Rómulo Gallegos prize for literature for her novel “El Tren Pasa Primero” (“The Train Passes First”), The Associated Press reported from Caracas, Venezuela. The book tells of a railroad worker who engages in the struggle for labor rights in Mexico. The prize, awarded every two years for what is deemed to be the best Spanish-language novel, was created in 1967 and named for the Venezuelan novelist and former President Rómulo Gallegos.
Via: www.nytimes.com
