Maalouf wins Spanish Asturias prize

[June 09, 2010]  MADRID (AP) -- Lebanese-born French writer Amin Maalouf won Spain's 2010 Prince of Asturias Award for literature Wednesday for his exploration of Mediterranean culture "as a symbolic space of coexistence and tolerance."

The 61-year-old's works include "Samarkand," "Leo the African" and "The Gardens of Light" and his books have been translated into more than 20 languages.

Maalouf was born in Beirut, where he studied political economics and sociology at the French University and worked for the daily newspaper An-Nahar, the Prince of Asturias foundation said.

Due to the 1975-1990 Lebanese civil war, he moved to France in 1976 and worked as editor of Jeune Afrique. He also covered the Vietnam War and the Iranian revolution.

Many of his works specialize in fiction based around historical events, such as the novel "The Crusades Through Arab Eyes."

In 1993, he won France's prestigious Prix Goncourt award for "The Rock of Tanios."

Wednesday's literature award is one of eight Asturias prizes bestowed each year in the arts, the sciences, international cooperation and communication.

The prizes include a euro50,000 ($70,000) cash stipend and a sculpture by artist Joan Miro. The awards are named after Spain's Crown Prince Felipe, whose formal title is prince of Asturias, a region of northern Spain.

Albanian writer Ismail Kadare won the literature award in 2009.

Associated Press]

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