 |
Contact:
Patrick Kowalczyk, [email protected]
Jenny Chang, [email protected]
PKPR, 212.627.8098
CELEBRATING THE POWER OF LITERATURE TO PROMOTE PEACE,
DAYTON LITERARY PEACE PRIZE ANNOUNCES 2010 FINALISTS
Winners to be honored at gala Dayton ceremony on November 7th
www.daytonliterarypeaceprize.org
Dayton, OH (September 1, 2010) � Celebrating the power of literature to promote peace, the
Dayton Literary Peace Prize Foundation today announced the twelve finalists for the 2010
Dayton Literary Peace Prize in fiction and nonfiction.
Inspired by the 1995 Dayton Peace Accords that ended the war in Bosnia, The Dayton Literary
Peace Prize is the only international literary peace prize awarded in the United States.
The Prize celebrates the power of literature to promote peace, nonviolent conflict resolution,
and global understanding.
The shortlist includes works by best-selling authors (Zeitoun by Dave Eggers, Stones Into
Schoools by Greg Mortenson), first-time novelists (The Calligrapher's Daughter by Eugenia Kim),
and Booker Prize-winning authors (The Education of a British-Protected Child by Chinua Achebe)
The 2010 finalists also explore a diverse range of challenging issues ranging from cultural
dislocation (A Good Fall by Ha Jin) to famine (Enough: Why the World�s Poor Starve in an Age
of Plenty by Roger Thurow and Scott Kilman) to the impact of war crimes and mass murder
(Tears in the Darkness by Michael and Elizabeth Norman, A Postcard from the Volcano by Lucy
Beckett) and are set in locations around the world, including Nigeria (The Thing Around Your
Neck by Chimamanda Adiche), Jamaica (The Book of Night Women by Marlon James), Kashmir (In
the Valley of Mist by Justine Hardy), and Ethiopia (Cutting for Stone by Abraham Verghese).
The full list of finalists can be found below and at:
www.daytonliterarypeaceprize.org.
A winner and runner-up in fiction and nonfiction will be announced on September 22nd. Winners
receive a $10,000 honorarium and runners-up receive $1,000.00. They will be honored at a gala
ceremony hosted by award-winning journalist Nick Clooney in Dayton on Sunday, November 7th.
The committee previously announced that historical novelist Geraldine Brooks (March, Year of
Wonders, People of the Book) will be the recipient of the 2010 Lifetime Achievement Award, a
distinction she shares with Studs Terkel (2006), Elie Wiesel (2007), Taylor Branch (2008),
and Nicholas Kristof and Sheryl WuDunn (2009).
"This year�s finalists help readers to see pressing global issues through the eyes of individuals
whose lives are immediately affected by the larger forces around them," said Sharon Rab, chair
of the Dayton Literary Peace Prize Foundation. �While challenging us to confront difficult and
painful truths, each work, in its own way, is ultimately hopeful, offering the reader powerful
insight into the resilience of the human spirit.�
The 2010 Dayton Literary Peace Prize fiction finalists are:
The 2010 nonfiction finalists are:
- Enough: Why the Worlds Poorest Starve in an Age of Plenty by Roger Thurow and Scott Kilman (Public Affairs):
This powerful investigative narrative shows exactly how, in the
past few decades, American, British, and European policies have
conspired to keep Africa hungry and unable to feed itself.
- In the Valley of Mist by Justine Hardy (Free Press):
A personal, moving, and vibrant picture of the Kashmir Valley,
one of the most beautiful and troubled places in the world --
described through the experiences of one family, whose fortunes
have changed dramatically with those of the region.
- Stones Into Schools by Greg Mortenson (Penguin Group, USA):
From the author of the #1 bestseller Three Cups of Tea, the
continuing story of this determined humanitarian�s efforts to
promote peace in Afghanistan through education.
- Tears in the Darkness by Michael and Elizabeth Norman (Farrar, Straus and Giroux):
Using the perspective of a young American soldier, this account
of World War II�s Bataan death march exposes the myths of war
and shows the extent of suffering and loss on both sides.
- The Education of a British-Protected Child by Chinua Achebe (Knopf):
From the celebrated author of Things Fall Apart, a new collection
of autobiographical essays�his first new book in more than twenty
years.
- Zeitoun by Dave Eggers (McSweeney's):
The meticulously researched story of a prosperous Syrian-American
and father of four who chose to stay in New Orleans through Hurricane
Katrina and protect his house and business�but then abruptly disappeared.
Finalists will be reviewed by a panel of prominent writers including Ken McClane, Cullen Murphy,
Katherine Vaz, and Nancy Zafris.
To be eligible for the 2010 awards, English-language books must be published or translated into
English in 2009 and address the theme of peace on a variety of levels, such as between individuals,
among families and communities, or among nations, religions, or ethnic groups.
About the Dayton Literary Peace Prize
The Dayton Literary Peace Prize honors writers whose work uses the power of literature to foster peace,
social justice, and global understanding. Launched in 2006, it has already established itself as one of
the world�s most prestigious literary honors, and is the only literary peace prize awarded in the United
States. As an offshoot of the Dayton Peace Prize, the Dayton Literary Peace Prize awards a $10,000 cash
prize each year to one fiction and one nonfiction author whose work advances peace as a solution to
conflict, and leads readers to a better understanding of other cultures, peoples, religions, and political
points of view. An annual lifetime achievement award is also bestowed upon a writer whose body of work
reflects the Prize's mission; previous honorees include Studs Terkel, Elie Wiesel, Taylor Branch, Nicholas
Kristof, and Sheryl WuDunn.
Press release in PDF format.
# # #
Promoting Peace and Literacy Around the World
Dayton Literary Peace Prize,
P. O. Box 461,
Wright Brothers Branch, Dayton, OH 45409-0461
Tel: (937) 298-5072 :: Email: [email protected]
|
 |