The race for one of the world’s most coveted literary honours is heating up as three literary heavyweights—Salwa Bakr, Amitav Ghosh and John Banville—compete for the 14th Pak Kyongni Prize, per koreaherald.com. Announced by the Toji Cultural Foundation, the shortlist spotlights authors whose works not only cross borders but reshape the narrative landscape.
Egypt’s Salwa Bakr, best known for The Man from Bashmour, channels the lived experiences of marginalised women, delivering stark, unforgettable fiction steeped in social truth. Indian novelist Amitav Ghosh, hailed for sprawling epics like The Ibis Trilogy, melds environmental urgency with postcolonial history. And from Ireland, John Banville, whose finely crafted prose in The Sea won him the Booker Prize, returns to the spotlight with his signature depth and elegance.
Launched in 2011, the Pak Kyongni Prize celebrates the enduring literary spirit of Korean writer Pak Kyong-ni, famed for her multigenerational epic Toji (The Land). The international award honours living novelists whose body of work enriches global literature and reinforces its intrinsic cultural value.
The winner, to be revealed this September, will receive a certificate, a plaque, and ₩100 million (approx. $73,000). With previous laureates including literary icons Ngũgĩ wa Thiong’o and Richard Ford, this year’s prize promises to reinforce literature’s global pulse.
•Featured image: From left, Egyptian writer Salwa Bakr, Indian novelist Amitav Ghosh and Irish author John Banville (Gettyimages)
