Arundhati Roy Awarded PEN Pinter Prize 2024

June 28, 2024

The 2023 PEN Pinter Prize was recently given to Indian author Arundati Roy. The award was created in honor of the famous writer Harold Pinter. The prize is given to writers with “outstanding literary merit” who look at the world seriously and think about it. Roy was thrilled to receive this coveted award. She is known for her literary skills and critical engagement with global and Indian sociopolitical issues.

Roy’s Literary and Activist Profile

Arundati Roy, who is 62 years old, is both a well-known author and an outspoken campaigner. Her large body of work includes both fiction and non-fiction. In 1997, her first book, “The God of Small Things,” won the Booker Prize. Roy is a controversial and powerful figure in modern debate because she speaks out for human rights, criticizes the Narendra Modi government’s policies toward minority groups, and worries about the loss of press freedom in India.

The Broader Impact of Her Work

Roy’s writing goes beyond the literary. She writes about important global and local issues with wit and a beautiful style. Roy is a “internationalist thinker” whose efforts are still felt around the world, according to Ruth Borthwick, chair of English PEN. This shows Roy’s unwavering dedication to activism through storytelling.

PEN Pinter Prize Background

The English PEN, a nonprofit group whose mission is to protect free speech and promote literary culture, started the PEN Pinter Prize in 2009. Famous people like Salman Rushdie, Margaret Atwood, and Carol Ann Duffy have been winners in the past. As Roy is currently facing judicial problems, it is especially poignant that the prize not only recognizes great writing but also bravery in the face of political hardship.

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