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US writer Paul Auster wins top Spanish literature prize
2006-05-31
US author Paul Auster was awarded Spain's top literature prize, beating compatriot Philip Roth in the final round of voting, the jury said. Auster, 59, who has written acclaimed novels, short stories and film scripts, as well as poems and works of non-fiction, will receive the Prince of the Asturias Prize, worth 50,000 euros (60,000 dollars) in October. "I didn't even know I was nominated and when I heard the news this morning I was surprised, I was happy but shocked," he told reporters in Portugal where he is directing a movie, the Lusa news agency reported. He said he was especially pleased because the prize "did not reward just one book but instead my entire works." The jury, chaired by the head of the Spanish Language Academy, Victor de la Concha, praised Auster for his ability to "unite the best in American and European traditions" and to appeal to young readers. The prize, which has been awarded annually since 1981, will be presented by Crown Prince Felipe, who also bears the title of Prince of the Asturias. It recognises an individual, a group or an institution whose work makes an important contribution to universal culture in the fields of literature or linguistics. Auster is the fourth English-language writer to win the prize, after Doris Lessing, Arthur Miller and Susan Sontag.
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