The Crossbill Team
Internationally acclaimed author Arundhati Roy has been honoured with the prestigious Pen Pinter Prize 2024 for her courageous writings and defence of freedom of expression.
Roy who is facing a threat of prosecution under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act or UAPA, an anti-terror law in a case registered in 2010 over her comments on Kashmir, will receive the award in a ceremony co-hosted by the British Library, later this year on October 10 in London.
Pen Pinter Prize was introduced in 2009 by the charity English PEN for defending freedom of expression and celebrates literature in memory of Nobel-Laureate playwright Harold Pinter.
Roy was chosen for the award by a jury consisting of the Chair of English PEN, Ruth Borthwick; actor and activist Khalid Abdalla; and writer and musician Roger Robinson.
Praising Roy for her thinking skills, Ruth Borthwick said, “Roy tells urgent stories of injustice with wit and beauty. While India remains an important focus, she is truly an internationalist thinker, and her powerful voice is not to be silenced.”
Another jury member Khalid Abdalla said, “Arundhati Roy is a luminous voice of freedom and justice whose words have come with fierce clarity and determination for almost thirty years now. Her books, her writings, the spirit with which her life is lived, have been a lodestar through the many crises and the darkness our world has faced since her first book, The God of Small Things. This year, as the world faces the deep histories that have created this moment in Gaza, our need for writers who are “unflinching and unswerving” has been immense. In honouring Arundhati Roy this year, we are celebrating both the dignity of her body of work and the timeliness of her words, that arrive with the depth of her craft exactly when we need them most.”
Affirming Roy to be the deserving recipient for the honour, the third jury member, Roger Robinson said, “Arundhati Roy was the unanimous choice for this prestigious award, a testament to her unparalleled contribution to literature. Her vast body of work, encompassing both fiction and non-fiction, has not only captivated readers worldwide but also consistently focused on themes of social justice. Roy’s incisive commentary on issues ranging from environmental degradation to human rights abuses demonstrates her commitment to advocating for the marginalized and challenging the status quo. Her unique voice and unwavering dedication to these causes make her a deserving recipient of this honour.”
Arundhati Roy, while accepting the prize said, "I am delighted to accept the PEN Pinter prize. I wish Harold Pinter were with us today to write about the almost incomprehensible turn the world is taking. Since he isn’t, some of us must do our utmost to try to fill his shoes."
Roy who is facing a threat of prosecution under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act or UAPA, an anti-terror law in a case registered in 2010 over her comments on Kashmir, will receive the award in a ceremony co-hosted by the British Library, later this year on October 10 in London.
Pen Pinter Prize was introduced in 2009 by the charity English PEN for defending freedom of expression and celebrates literature in memory of Nobel-Laureate playwright Harold Pinter.
Roy was chosen for the award by a jury consisting of the Chair of English PEN, Ruth Borthwick; actor and activist Khalid Abdalla; and writer and musician Roger Robinson.
Praising Roy for her thinking skills, Ruth Borthwick said, “Roy tells urgent stories of injustice with wit and beauty. While India remains an important focus, she is truly an internationalist thinker, and her powerful voice is not to be silenced.”
Another jury member Khalid Abdalla said, “Arundhati Roy is a luminous voice of freedom and justice whose words have come with fierce clarity and determination for almost thirty years now. Her books, her writings, the spirit with which her life is lived, have been a lodestar through the many crises and the darkness our world has faced since her first book, The God of Small Things. This year, as the world faces the deep histories that have created this moment in Gaza, our need for writers who are “unflinching and unswerving” has been immense. In honouring Arundhati Roy this year, we are celebrating both the dignity of her body of work and the timeliness of her words, that arrive with the depth of her craft exactly when we need them most.”
Affirming Roy to be the deserving recipient for the honour, the third jury member, Roger Robinson said, “Arundhati Roy was the unanimous choice for this prestigious award, a testament to her unparalleled contribution to literature. Her vast body of work, encompassing both fiction and non-fiction, has not only captivated readers worldwide but also consistently focused on themes of social justice. Roy’s incisive commentary on issues ranging from environmental degradation to human rights abuses demonstrates her commitment to advocating for the marginalized and challenging the status quo. Her unique voice and unwavering dedication to these causes make her a deserving recipient of this honour.”
Arundhati Roy, while accepting the prize said, "I am delighted to accept the PEN Pinter prize. I wish Harold Pinter were with us today to write about the almost incomprehensible turn the world is taking. Since he isn’t, some of us must do our utmost to try to fill his shoes."
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