Auster wins Spain's highest prize for literature 01/06/2006 00:00

1 June 2006

OVIEDO — American novelist, poet and scriptwriter Paul Auster has won Spain's highest award for literature, the Prince of Asturias Prize for Letters.

Auster won the prize for bringing together US and European traditions in literary works that blend fantasy and reality.

The 59-year-old becomes the fourth writer from the English-speaking world to win the prize, following in the footsteps of Doris Lessing, Arthur Miller and Susan Sontag.

The jury hailed the interest that Auster has sparked in young readers by focusing on the "individual and collective problems of our times".

Auster's work is known in the literary world for its emphasis on the search for identity.

The New York-based writer, who lived in France from 1971 to 1974, has been a harsh critic of US policy.

Since 1981, the Prince of Asturias Foundation, headed by Spain's Crown Prince Felipe, has awarded prizes for outstanding achievement in the fields of science, technology, culture, humanitarian endeavour, social activism and statecraft.

The winners get a cash award of EUR 50,000 and a statuette designed by the Spanish artist Joan Miro.

The Prince of Asturias awards are regarded as the Nobels of the Spanish-speaking world.

[Copyright EFE with Expatica]

Subject: Spanish news