UK author Ian McEwan (pictured, via) has won the $10,000 Jerusalem Prize. It will be awarded at the 25th International Jerusalem Book Fair. The biennial prize recognizes work that articulates ideas about “freedom of the individual in society.”
Here’s more from the release: “McEwan’s protagonists struggle for their right to give personal expression to their ideas, and to live according to those ideas in an environment of political and social turmoil. His obvious affection for them, and the compelling manner in which he describes their struggle, make him one of the most important writers of our time. His books have been translated into many languages and have enjoyed world-wide success – particularly in Israel, where he is one of the most widely-read of foreign authors.”
Several past winners (including Peruvian writer, Mario Vargas Llosa) have also received the Nobel Prize in Literature.
McEwan has published eleven novels, two children’s books, two short story collections, a play, and several film screenplays. Most recently, he pulbished the satirical novel, Solar.