Disturbing the Peace Award
© Tomki Nemec
for a writer at risk…
© Tomki Nemec
The VHC annual ‘Disturbing the Peace Award’ recognizes writers who share Vaclav Havel’s passionate commitment to human rights and have suffered unjust persecution for their work. The award is given each year to a writer of a distinguished work of fiction, literary nonfiction, biography, memoire, drama, or poetry, who is courageous in dissent and has been punished for challenging an oppressive regime. The award, which includes a $5,000 cash prize, supports talented individuals who embody Havel’s legacy while drawing attention to the many writers worldwide who bravely fight human rights violations.
Arundhati Roy and Toomaj Salehi Announced as joint winners of the Vaclav Havel Center’s 2024 ‘Disturbing the Peace’ Award to a Courageous Writer at Risk
The Vaclav Havel Center (‘VHC’) announced today that the winners of the 2024 ‘Disturbing the Peace’ Award for a Courageous Writer at Risk are Indian
2024 DISTURBING THE PEACE AWARD TO A COURAGEOUS WRITER AT RISK:
SHORT LIST ANNOUNCED The annual Disturbing the Peace Award to a Courageous Writer at Risk recognizes authors of distinguished works of fiction, literary nonfiction, biography,
2023 DISTURBING THE PEACE AWARD TO A COURAGEOUS WRITER AT RISK SOLICITATION OF NOMINATIONS
The Vaclav Havel Library Foundation is soliciting nominations for the 2023 Disturbing the Peace Award to a Courageous Writer at Risk. The award recognizes authors
Previous winners of the Disturbing the Peace Award for a Courageous Writer at Risk:
2016: Ma Thida (Myanmar)
A medical doctor, human rights activist and former political prisoner, Ma Thida, is known for her 2012 memoir Sanchaung, Insein, Harvard which was recently translated into English.
In 1993, she was sentenced to 20 years in prison for her activism surrounding freedom of expression and was charged with “distributing unlawful literature.”
2017: Burhan Sönmez (Turkey)
Burhan Sönmez is a renowned Turkish author known for his evocative and poetic novels, often exploring themes of memory, exile, and the human condition. His works have garnered international acclaim and have been translated into several languages.
2018: Liao Yiwu (China)
Liao Yiwu is a prominent Chinese writer and dissident known for his powerful works that critique the Chinese government and highlight the struggles of the country’s marginalized communities. His writings, often banned in China, have received international recognition and praise for their courage and honesty.
2019: Asli Erdogan (Turkey)
Aslı Erdoğan is a renowned Turkish writer, journalist, and human rights activist, born in 1967 in Istanbul. Known for her powerful and poetic novels, such as *The City in Crimson Cloak* and *The Stone Building and Other Places*, her work often addresses themes of oppression and displacement. Erdoğan has also been a vocal advocate for freedom of expression in Turkey, and her 2016 imprisonment for her work with a pro-Kurdish newspaper drew international attention. She remains a significant figure in both literature and human rights.
2020: Angel Santiesteban Prats (Cuba)
Ángel Santiesteban Prats is a Cuban writer and dissident, known for his short stories and novels that critique the Cuban government. Born in Havana in 1966, Santiesteban Prats gained recognition for his works, including *South: Latitude 13* and *Blessed Are Those Who Mourn*, which often explore themes of repression, freedom, and the struggles of life in Cuba. His outspoken criticism of the Cuban regime led to his imprisonment in 2013, a move widely condemned by human rights organizations. Santiesteban Prats continues to be a prominent voice for freedom of expression in Cuba.
2021: Dmitri Strotsev (Belarusia)
Dmitri Strotsev is a Belarusian poet and activist, known for his poignant poetry that often critiques the political situation in Belarus. Born in 1963, Strotsev has been a vocal critic of the Belarusian government, particularly during the protests following the 2020 presidential election. His work, which combines personal reflection with social commentary, has made him a significant literary figure in Belarus. Strotsev’s activism led to his arrest in 2020, but he continues to be a strong voice for freedom and human rights in his country.
2022: Andrey Kurkov (Ukraine)
Kurkov is the author of twenty screenplays and nineteen novels, including the bestselling Death and the Penguin, first published in Russian in 1996. In 2018 Kurkov was elected the president of PEN Ukraine, a cultural and human rights nonprofit organization. He is a respected commentator on Ukraine and since Russia’s military invasion of Ukraine in February 2022 has been an important source of information and analysis about the war for domestic and foreign audiences.
2023: Alaa Abd El-Fattah (Egypt)
Alaa Abd El-Fattah is an Egyptian activist, blogger, and software developer, born in 1981, who has become a symbol of the struggle for democracy and human rights in Egypt. Known for his role in the 2011 Egyptian revolution, Abd El-Fattah has been a vocal advocate for free speech, political reform, and digital rights. He has been imprisoned multiple times by various Egyptian regimes, with his most recent incarceration drawing widespread international attention. Despite the ongoing repression, Abd El-Fattah remains a prominent figure in Egypt’s pro-democracy movement.
2024: Arundhati Roy (India)
Arundhati Roy is an Indian author best known for her novel The God of Small Things (1997), which won the Booker Prize for Fiction in 1997 and became the best-selling book by a non-expatriate Indian author. Her second novel The Ministry of Utmost Happiness was published in 2017 and was long listed for the Mann Booker Prize.
2024: Toomaj Salehi (Iran)
Toomaj Salehi (Persian: توماج صالحی;) is an Iranian rapper mainly known for his protest songs concerning Iran’s societal issues and the policies of the government of the Islamic Republic of Iran. In July 2023, the Iranian Government sentenced Salehi to six years in prison for participating in the 2022 Iran protests. On 24 April 2024 Salehi was sentenced to death for charges linked to Iran’s 2022–23 Woman, Life, Freedom movement, before it was overturned in June 2024.
