David Grossman wins 2017 Man Booker International Prize

By Ahmet Gurhan Kartal

LONDON (AA) – Israeli author David Grossman was awarded the 2017 Man Booker International Prize on Wednesday.

A Horse Walks into a Bar, one of the most critically acclaimed books last year, earned the famous literary figure the award at a ceremony held at London’s Victoria and Albert Museum.

The jury, including Turkish writer Elif Safak, announced the novel worthy of this year’s prize.

The novel which unfolds over the course of one final show by stand-up comedian, Dovaleh Gee, was translated into English by Jessica Cohen and is published by Jonathan Cape.

Grossman, 63, is a best-selling Israeli writer of fiction, non-fiction and children’s literature and his works have been translated into 36 languages.

He has previously won numerous global awards, including the French Chevalier de l’Ordre des Arts et des Lettres, the Buxtehuder Bulle in Germany, Rome’s Premio per la Pace e l’Azione Umanitaria, the Frankfurt Peace Prize and Israel’s Emet Prize.

Grossman is known for his open and direct criticism of Israel for the rights of Palestinians.