Hermann Kesten Prize

The Hermann Kesten Prize (), formally the Hermann Kesten Medal (), is a German literary award presented annually for outstanding efforts in support of persecuted writers, on behalf of PEN Centre Germany according to the principles of the Charter of International PEN. In 1985, the PEN Center of the Federal Republic of Germany awarded the first Hermann Kesten Medal. It is named in honor of the German novelist and dramatist Hermann Kesten (1900–1996).

Until 1993, it was awarded every two years, since 1994 it has been given annually. As of 2000, the Hessian Ministry of Higher Education, Research and the Arts has endowed the award with a prize of .

The award is one of many PEN awards sponsored by International PEN affiliates in over 145 PEN centres around the world.

Prize winners

Source:

1985 Bishop Helmut Frentz

1987 Kathleen von Simson

1989 Angelika Mechtel

1991 Christa Bremer

1993 Johannes Mario Simmel

1994 Carola Stern

1995 Günter Grass

1996 Victor Pfaff

1997 SAID

1998 Hermann Schulz

1999 Alexander Tkatshenko

2000 Nenad Popovic

2001 Harold Pinter

2002 Sumaya Farhat Naser and Gila Svirsky

2003 Anna Politkovskaya

2004 Bunt statt Braun

2005 Journaliste en danger

2006 Leonie Ossowski

2007 Hrant Dink

2008 Memorial

2009 Baltasar Garzón

2010 Liu Xiaobo

2011 Egyptian Publisher Mohammed Hashim

2012 Iryna Khalip (Iрына Халiп) Belarusian Journalist

2013 Index on Censorship

2014 Wolfgang Kaleck

2015 Gefangenes Wort e.V. and Madjid Mohit

2016 Translate for Justice

2017 Thomas B. Schumann

2018 Gioconda Belli

2019 Philippe Lançon

2020 Günther Wallraff

2021 Irena Brežná

2022 Meena Kandasamy

See also

German literature

List of literary awards

List of poetry awards

List of years in literature

List of years in poetry

References

External links

Hermann Kesten webpage

German P.E.N. Center

German PEN Center awards

Awards established in 1985

1985 establishments in Germany

Literary awards honouring human rights