Syrian Author Wins PEN Prize

Syrian journalist and writer Samar Yazbek, who was forced into exile after criticizing President Bashar al-Assad, has won PEN’s Pinter International Writer of Courage Award.

Yazbek, who fled her homeland late last year after repeated run-ins with the state security services, was recognized for her book, “A Woman In The Crossfire“, an account of the early stages of the Syrian revolution.

In line with the late playwright Harold Pinter’s Nobel speech in which he spoke of casting “an unflinching, unswerving gaze upon the world”, the prize is awarded annually to a writer who has been persecuted for speaking out about their beliefs.

“The great thing about this prize is that it highlights figures who might not otherwise get the recognition they deserve,” Heather Norman Soderlind, Deputy Director of English PEN, told Reuters.

Yazbek insists, though, that while grateful for the honor, she doesn’t see this as a personal accolade. “I felt that beyond me this was a prize for the Syrian Revolution,” she said.

Story from Reuters.