NEWSLINKS US EDITION SOUTH ASIA COLUMNISTS DIARY SPECIALS INTERVIEWS CAPITAL BUZZ REDIFF POLL THE STATES ELECTIONS ARCHIVES US ARCHIVES SEARCH REDIFF
France's Universal Academy of Cultures has awarded its top prize to Arundhati Roy 'for her literary work and her commitment to the fight for human rights'.
The $68,000 prize is awarded to writers for their work against intolerance, racism and discrimination against women.
Roy, 39, is the second person to win the prize after Vaclav Havel, the Czech president and former dissident playwright.
She won the Booker prize in 1997 for The God of Small Things, which has since been translated in 30 languages, becoming the first Indian author living in India to receive the prestigious British award.
Roy also wrote The Cost of Living, a scathing essay against her government's policy on dams and India's role as a nuclear power.
Created in 1992 by Nobel peace laureate Elie Wiesel, the academy comprises several internationally renowned intellectuals, such as Margaret Atwood, Saul Bellow, Yussef Chahine, Umberto Eco and Ismail Kadare.
French Education Minister Jack Lang will present the award to Roy in a ceremony at the Sorbonne University in Paris on November 12.
Back to top
Tell us what you think of this report
