2009-06-24 15:00:06 -
MADRID (AP) - Albanian writer Ismail Kadare was awarded Spain's Prince of Asturias literature prize on Wednesday in recognition of the social commitment in his work.
Describing him as one of the greatest authors in world literature, prize organizers said Kadare «represents the pinnacle of Albanian literature and, without forgetting his roots, has crossed frontiers to rise up as a universal voice against totalitarianism.
The 2009 award announced Wednesday is one of eight Asturias prizes bestowed each year in areas such as the arts, the sciences, international cooperation and communication.
Kadare's writings first attracted attention during the years of Enver Hoxha's repressive communist regime. A novelist, essayist and poet, his work gained greater international fame after he was granted political asylum in France in 1990.
Born in 1936 in Gjirokaster, Albania, a southern city where Hoxha was also born, Kadare's most popular novels include «The General of the Dead Army, «The Palace of Dreams» «The Concert.
A regular nominee for the Nobel literature prize, Kadare won the first International Booker award in 2005. His books have been translated into more than 40 languages.
As a boy, Kadare witnessed World War II and the occupation of his country by fascist Italy, Nazi Germany and the Soviet Union, until Hoxha established his dictatorship in 1944, the foundation said in a biographical note.
A noted scholar of Albanian traditions and the oddities of the Balkan state, his works are often set around historic events affecting his country such as the break between Albania and the former Soviet Union, Catholic and Orthodox rivalries and the split between Tirana and Beijing, it added.
Kadare lives in Paris although he is known to travel regularly to Albania.
The Asturias awards include a ¤50,000 ($70,000) cash stipend and a sculpture by artist Joan Miro. The prizes are named after Spain's Crown Prince Felipe, whose formal title is prince of Asturias, a region of northern Spain.
Canadian author Margaret Atwood won the 2008 Prince of Asturias prize for letters.
