The Franco-Lebanese writer Amin Maalouf has been awarded the Romance Languages Literature Prize by the Guadalajara Book Fair (FIL). At the ceremony, Maalouf reflected on the world's current challenges, such as the trend toward authoritarianism, armed conflicts, and the impact of technology, describing them as symptoms of a civilizational shipwreck. Despite this outlook, the author appeared hopeful, advocating for solidarity and the human capacity to overcome adversity. The jury highlighted its work for its ability to address the sociocultural fractures of modernity and to criticize nationalism and religious intolerance.
The announcement of the award, which includes a prize of 150,000 dollars, took place in Guadalajara, considered the home of the most important literary fair in Latin America. The jury, composed of renowned academics of diverse nationalities, valued the prophetic and essayistic nature of Maalouf's work. During his intervention, Maalouf stressed the relevance of literature as a tool to heal cultural divisions and to foster a shared human identity. The FIL, founded by the University of Guadalajara, is a key gathering of narrative literature in Ibero-America and plans to officially award the prize in November, at its inaugural ceremony.
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