PEN Pinter Prize

The PEN Pinter Prize and the Pinter International Writer of Courage Award both comprise an annual literary award launched in 2009 by English PEN in honour of the late Nobel Literature Prize-winning playwright Harold Pinter, who had been a Vice President of English PEN and an active member of the International PEN Writers in Prison Committee (WiPC).[1][2] The award is given to "a British writer or a writer resident in Britain of outstanding literary merit who, in the words of Pinter’s Nobel speech ['Art, Truth and Politics'], casts an 'unflinching, unswerving' gaze upon the world and shows 'a fierce, intellectual determination … to define the real truth of our lives and our societies'."[3][4] The Prize is shared with an "International Writer of Courage," defined as "someone who has been persecuted for speaking out about [his or her] beliefs," selected by English PEN's Writers at Risk Committee in consultation with the annual Prize winner, and announced during an award ceremony held at the British Library, on or around 10 October, the anniversary of Pinter's birth.[1][5]

The PEN Pinter Prize is one of the many PEN literary awards sponsored by PEN International affiliates in "more than 100" PEN International Centers located around the world.

Recipients

2009

• PEN Pinter Prize: Tony Harrison, poet and playwright[4]
• International Writer of Courage Award: Zarganar (Maung Thura), Burmese artist [1][6]

2010

• PEN Pinter Prize: Hanif Kureishi[7]
• International Writer of Courage Award: Lydia Cacho, Mexican journalist and human rights activist[7]

2011

• PEN Pinter Prize: David Hare, playwright[8]
• International Writer of Courage Award: Roberto Saviano, Italian writer and journalist[2]

2012

• PEN Pinter Prize: Carol Ann Duffy, poet[9]
• International Writer of Courage Award: Samar Yazbek, Syrian writer[10]

2013

• PEN Pinter Prize: Tom Stoppard, playwright[11]
• International Writer of Courage Award: Iryna Khalip, Belarusian journalist [12]

2014

• PEN Pinter Prize: Salman Rushdie, novelist[5][13]
• International Writer of Courage Award: Mazen Darwish, Syrian lawyer and journalist[14]

2015

• PEN Pinter Prize: James Fenton[15]
• International Writer of Courage Award: Raif Badawi, Saudi activist

2016

• PEN Pinter Prize: Margaret Atwood[16]
• International Writer of Courage Award: Ahmedur Rashid Chowdhury, Bangladeshi publisher[17]

2017

• PEN Pinter Prize: Michael Longley[18]
• International Writer of Courage Award: Mahvash Sabet, Iranian poet and teacher[19]

2018

• PEN Pinter Prize: Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie[20]
• International Writer of Courage: Waleed Abulkhair, Saudi lawyer and human rights activist [21]

2019

• PEN Pinter Prize: Lemn Sissay[22]
• International Writer of Courage Award: Befeqadu Hailu, Ethiopian writer and blogger[23]

2020

• PEN Pinter Prize: Linton Kwesi Johnson[24]

See also

• Prison literature

References

1. "PEN Pinter Prize". English PEN (official webpage). Retrieved 5 May 2013.
2. Collett-White, Mike (10 October 2011). "Mafia Writer Saviano Awarded PEN/Pinter Prize in UK". Reuters. Retrieved 1 September 2012.
3. Pinter, Harold (8 Dec 2005). "Art, Truth and Politics". The Guardian. Retrieved 1 September 2012.
4. Flood, Alison (22 September 2009). "Tony Harrison Wins Inaugural PEN/Pinter Prize". The Guardian. Retrieved 1 September 2012.
5. "What's On: The PEN Pinter Prize 2014". British Library. October 2014. Retrieved 14 September 2014.
6. "Political Prisoner Release Should Prompt Continued Pressure on Myanmar". Amnesty International. 14 October 2011. Retrieved 14 September 2014.
7. Flood, Alison (17 September 2010). "Hanif Kureishi Scoops PEN Pinter Prize". The Guardian. Retrieved 1 September 2012.
8. "David Hare Wins Pinter Literary Prize". BBC News. 26 August 2011. Retrieved 14 September 2014.
9. "Carol Ann Duffy Awarded PEN Pinter Prize". BBC News. 13 July 2012. Retrieved 14 September 2014.
10. Flood, Alison (9 October 2012). "Syrian Author Shares PEN/Pinter Prize with Carol Ann Duffy". The Guardian. Retrieved 9 October 2012.
11. "Playwright Tom Stoppard Wins PEN/Pinter Prize". AP. 30 July 2013. Retrieved 14 September 2014.
12. Sharp, Robert (October 8, 2013). "Tom Stoppard Announces Belarus Writer Iryna Khalip As Winner of the PEN/Pinter International Writer of Courage Award 2013". English PEN. Retrieved 8 October 2013.
13. [Ziemer], Julia (20 June 2014). "Salman Rushdie Awarded the 2014 PEN/Pinter Prize". English PEN. Retrieved June 19, 2014.
14. Alison Flood (10 October 2014). "Salman Rushdie to share PEN Pinter prize with Mazen Darwish". The Guardian. Retrieved 8 February 2015.
15. Robert Sharp (June 2015). "James Fenton awarded 2015 PEN Pinter Prize". English PEN. Retrieved June 16, 2015.
16. Sharp, Robert (June 16, 2016). "Margaret Atwood awarded 2016 PEN Pinter Prize". English PEN. Retrieved October 14, 2016.
17. Flood, Alison (October 13, 2016). "Margaret Atwood selects Tutul for Pen writer of courage award". The Guardian. Retrieved October 14, 2016.
18. Sharp, Robert (1 June 2017). "Michael Longley CBE awarded PEN Pinter Prize 2017". Retrieved 28 April 2018.
19. Sharp, Robert (10 October 2017). "Bahá'í poet Mahvash Sabet shares 2017 PEN Pinter Prize with Michael Longley". Retrieved 28 April 2018.
20. "Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie wins PEN Pinter Prize". The Irish Times. June 12, 2018. Retrieved June 12, 2018.
21. Alison Flood (October 9, 2018). "Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie accepts PEN Pinter prize with call to speak out". The Guardian. Retrieved June 3, 2019.
22. Press Association (3 June 2019). "Poet and playwright Lemn Sissay wins the PEN Pinter prize". The Guardian. London. Retrieved 3 June 2019.
23. Alison Flood (11 October 2019). "Lemn Sissay and Befeqadu Hailu share 2019 PEN Pinter prize". The Guardian. Retrieved 11 October 2019.
24. Flood, Alison (2020-07-07). "'Living legend' Linton Kwesi Johnson wins PEN Pinter prize". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 2020-07-08.

External links

• PEN Pinter Prize − English PEN official webpage