London: ooker Prize-winning author Arundhati Roy has been honored with Britain’s prestigious PEN Pinter Prize 2024 for her unflinching and outspoken writing. The award, established in 2009 by the charity English PEN, celebrates literature and defends freedom of expression in memory of Nobel Prize-winning playwright Harold Pinter. Roy, known for her advocacy of justice and freedom, expressed delight at being named this year’s winner. She will receive the award at a ceremony co-hosted by the British Library on October 10, where she will also deliver an address.
Despite facing trial for statements made about Kashmir 14 years ago, Roy’s powerful voice remains unyielding. The jury, including English PEN President Ruth Borthwick, actor and activist Khalid Abdullah, and writer-musician Roger Robinson, unanimously selected her for the PEN Pinter Prize. Borthwick praised Roy’s ability to tell important stories of injustice with intellectual beauty, emphasizing her status as an international thinker. Khalid Abdullah lauded her clarity and determination, recognizing her as a bright voice of freedom and justice.
Roy, born on November 24, 1961, in Shillong, Meghalaya, gained fame with her debut novel, The God of Small Things, which won the Booker Prize. Beyond her literary achievements, she actively engages in environmental and human rights issues. Despite legal challenges, including accusations of treason, Roy continues to champion causes that matter to her and the world.
