Ismaíl Kadaré Prince of Asturias Award for Literature 2009

At its meeting in Oviedo, the Jury for the 2009 Prince of Asturias Award for Letters, made up of Mr. Andrés Amorós, Mr. Luis María Anson, Mr. J. J. Armas Marcelo, Ms. Blanca Berasátegui, Mr. Pedro Casals, Mr. Antonio Colinas, Mr. Francisco Javier Fernández Vallina, Ms. Laura García Lorca, Mr. José Luis García Martín, Ms. Pilar García Mouton, Ms. Olvido García Valdés, Mr. Emilio González Ferrín, Mr. Manuel Llorente, Mr. Jacobo Fitz-James Stuart y Martínez de Irujo, Ms. Rosa Navarro Durán, Ms. Berta Piñán, Mr. Fernando Rodríguez Lafuente, Mr. Fernando Sánchez Dragó, chaired by Mr. Víctor García de la Concha and with Mr. Román Suárez Blanco acting as secretary, has decided to confer the 2009 Prince of Asturias Award for Letters on the Albanian novelist, poet and essayist Ismaíl Kadaré for the beauty and profound commitment of his literary works.

Using everyday language which is nonetheless full of lyricism, Ismaíl Kadaré narrates the tragedy of his land, an incessant battleground. Giving life to old myths through new words, he expresses all the grief and dramatic load of conscience. His commitment is rooted in the great literary tradition of the Hellenic world, which he projects onto the contemporary stage as an open condemnation of any form of totalitarianism and in defence of reason.

Oviedo, 24th June 2009