Salman Rushdie to receive Halldór Laxness International Literary Prize in Reykjavík, Iceland

British author Salman Rushdie is scheduled to visit Iceland next month to receive the Halldór Laxness International Literary Prize. The award ceremony will take place on Friday, September 13, at the Háskólabíó cinema in Reykjavík, where Rushdie will be presented with the award, which includes a monetary prize of €15,000 along with a medal.

The Halldór Laxness International Literary Prize is awarded biennially to a renowned international writer who has contributed to the revival of narrative art. This echoes the reasoning used by the Swedish Academy when awarding Halldór Laxness the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1955.

The prize selection committee noted that Rushdie’s novels offer “captivating, philosophical, and enlightening stories for readers willing to explore new worlds.” Rushdie has become a “symbol of courage and unyielding will” for continuing to write despite facing condemnation, a death sentence issued by the Iranian clerical regime, and an assassination attempt two years ago.

The Prime Minister of Iceland will present the award, and there will be a discussion with Rushdie following the ceremony, led by Halla Oddný Magnúsdóttir and Halldór Guðmundsson. The event is open to the public free of charge, but tickets must be reserved through Tix.is.

Rushdie will be the fourth recipient of this prestigious award, following British author Ian McEwan in 2019, Turkish writer Elif Shafak in 2021, and Ukrainian author Andrei Kurkov in 2022, who is also part of this year’s selection committee alongside Agli Helgason and Stella Soffía Jóhannesdóttir. The prize is organized in collaboration with various Icelandic institutions and is supported by the University of Iceland.