By Online Desk
A majority of this year’s finalists at the national book awards made a collective statement calling for a ceasefire in the Israel-Hamas war at the ceremony in New York on Thursday, The Guardian reports.
“On behalf of the finalists, we oppose the ongoing bombardment of Gaza and call for an humanitarian ceasefire to address the urgent humanitarian needs of Palestinian civilians, particularly children,” author Aaliyah Bilal, nominated in the fiction category for her novel Temple Folk, read out from the prepared statement after twenty of the 25 finalists up for the five categories – fiction, nonfiction, poetry, children’s literature and translated literature – got on stage, The Guardian said.
“We oppose antisemitism and anti-Palestinian sentiment and Islamophobia equally, accepting the human dignity of all parties, knowing that further bloodshed does nothing to secure lasting peace in the region.”
On Wednesday, The Guardian added, it was revealed that a sponsor had withdrawn from the event after the National Book Awards informed them of the expected action.
Now in its 74th year, the national book awards are regarded as one of the most prestigious literary prizes in the US. The prize ceremony is frequently used as a chance for authors to speak about political matters that move them, though the Israel-Hamas war has divided the literary world in its responses.
Last month the 92NY, a venue for many literary events in New York, was criticised for cancelling an appearance by the novelist Viet Thanh Nguyen after he signed an open letter criticising Israel’s military response. Several writers pulled out of events at 92Y and staff members resigned, The Guardian recalled.
And the Frankfurt book fair was criticised after it postponed an event honouring the Palestinian author Adania Shibli that had been announced months before, “due to the war started by Hamas, under which millions of people in Israel and Palestine are suffering”. Shibli later said the organisers had falsely claimed she supported the postponement.
More than 1,500 authors and publishers signed a letter protesting the decision, with philosopher Slavoj Žižek using his opening speech at Frankfurt to call it “scandalous,” the report noted.
Earlier, over 2000 poets and writers have pledged to boycott the Poetry Foundation (as well as it’s poetry journal, Poetry), citing “a recent instance of prejudiced silencing” in which Joshua Gutterman Tranen’s review of Sam Sax’s collection PIG, which engages with anti-Zionist politics, was shelved indefinitely because the magazine didn’t want to be seen as “picking a side” in the ongoing genocide unfolding in Gaza, according to the Literary Hub.
It may be recalled that in October 2021, Irish novelist Sally Rooney refused to have her third novel translated into Hebrew by an Israeli publisher.
According to Haaretz newspaper, Rooney published her newest novel, “Beautiful World, Where Are You,” in September, but wouldn’t accept an offer to sell the Hebrew translation rights to Modan, the Israeli publisher responsible for putting out her first two novels in Israel. She said she was refusing to do further business with Modan out of support for the Boycott, Divestment Sanctions movement, a Palestinian initiative against Israeli rule. Follow channel on WhatsApp
A majority of this year’s finalists at the national book awards made a collective statement calling for a ceasefire in the Israel-Hamas war at the ceremony in New York on Thursday, The Guardian reports.
“On behalf of the finalists, we oppose the ongoing bombardment of Gaza and call for an humanitarian ceasefire to address the urgent humanitarian needs of Palestinian civilians, particularly children,” author Aaliyah Bilal, nominated in the fiction category for her novel Temple Folk, read out from the prepared statement after twenty of the 25 finalists up for the five categories – fiction, nonfiction, poetry, children’s literature and translated literature – got on stage, The Guardian said.
“We oppose antisemitism and anti-Palestinian sentiment and Islamophobia equally, accepting the human dignity of all parties, knowing that further bloodshed does nothing to secure lasting peace in the region.”googletag.cmd.push(function() {googletag.display(‘div-gpt-ad-8052921-2’); });
On Wednesday, The Guardian added, it was revealed that a sponsor had withdrawn from the event after the National Book Awards informed them of the expected action.
Now in its 74th year, the national book awards are regarded as one of the most prestigious literary prizes in the US. The prize ceremony is frequently used as a chance for authors to speak about political matters that move them, though the Israel-Hamas war has divided the literary world in its responses.
Last month the 92NY, a venue for many literary events in New York, was criticised for cancelling an appearance by the novelist Viet Thanh Nguyen after he signed an open letter criticising Israel’s military response. Several writers pulled out of events at 92Y and staff members resigned, The Guardian recalled.
And the Frankfurt book fair was criticised after it postponed an event honouring the Palestinian author Adania Shibli that had been announced months before, “due to the war started by Hamas, under which millions of people in Israel and Palestine are suffering”. Shibli later said the organisers had falsely claimed she supported the postponement.
More than 1,500 authors and publishers signed a letter protesting the decision, with philosopher Slavoj Žižek using his opening speech at Frankfurt to call it “scandalous,” the report noted.
Earlier, over 2000 poets and writers have pledged to boycott the Poetry Foundation (as well as it’s poetry journal, Poetry), citing “a recent instance of prejudiced silencing” in which Joshua Gutterman Tranen’s review of Sam Sax’s collection PIG, which engages with anti-Zionist politics, was shelved indefinitely because the magazine didn’t want to be seen as “picking a side” in the ongoing genocide unfolding in Gaza, according to the Literary Hub.
It may be recalled that in October 2021, Irish novelist Sally Rooney refused to have her third novel translated into Hebrew by an Israeli publisher.
According to Haaretz newspaper, Rooney published her newest novel, “Beautiful World, Where Are You,” in September, but wouldn’t accept an offer to sell the Hebrew translation rights to Modan, the Israeli publisher responsible for putting out her first two novels in Israel. She said she was refusing to do further business with Modan out of support for the Boycott, Divestment Sanctions movement, a Palestinian initiative against Israeli rule.
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