ID :
45945
Mon, 02/16/2009 - 22:29
Auther :
Shortlink :
http://m.oananews.org//node/45945
The shortlink copeid
Haruki Murakami wins Jerusalem Prize, calls for end to conflict+
JERUSALEM, Feb. 16 Kyodo - Japanese novelist Haruki Murakami won the Jerusalem Prize for his ''artistic achievements and love of people'' Sunday, becoming the first non-European-language writer to receive the Israeli literary prize.
In his speech at the ceremony, Murakami, 60, stressed that each person must
work to stop states and organizations from getting out of control, referring to
Israel's recent large-scale offensive in the Gaza Strip.
Murakami said he thought that attending the ceremony might give the impression
that he supports Israel's dependence on its overwhelming military but said he
eventually decided to speak rather than saying nothing.
During the 15-minute speech in English, he warned that systems which should
protect people sometimes kill people systematically.
He said that in writing novels he has in mind a hard, high wall, and an egg
that breaks against it, and he will always stand on the side of the egg.
The wall is a metaphor for systems and the egg represents each person's soul,
he said, adding that people must not let the system control them.
While he received loud applause from the audience of around 700, a middle-aged
man said he was offended due to the speech's political content. He said it is
wrong to criticize Israel when receiving a prize from the nation.
Murakami's attendance came despite criticism from pro-Palestinian groups,
including a Japanese nongovernmental organization, that receiving the award
would lead to defending Israeli policy regarding the Palestinians.
The Jerusalem Prize winner is selected by a panel of judges appointed by the
Jerusalem mayor and is given to authors whose writings have expressed the idea
of individual freedom in society, according to the award presenter.
Noting that Murakami's books have been translated into 40 different languages
and have garnered acclaim the world over, including in Israel, the presenter
said the decision to confer the prize to him was ''made out of profound esteem
for his artistic achievements and love of people.''
''His humanism is clearly reflected in his writings,'' the presenter said.
Several of Murakami's works such as ''Norwegian Wood'' have been translated
into Hebrew and he is a widely known novelist in Israel.
Past winners of the Jerusalem Prize, created in 1963, include U.S. playwright
Arthur Miller and British philosopher Bertrand Russell.
==Kyodo
2009-02-16 22:38:14
In his speech at the ceremony, Murakami, 60, stressed that each person must
work to stop states and organizations from getting out of control, referring to
Israel's recent large-scale offensive in the Gaza Strip.
Murakami said he thought that attending the ceremony might give the impression
that he supports Israel's dependence on its overwhelming military but said he
eventually decided to speak rather than saying nothing.
During the 15-minute speech in English, he warned that systems which should
protect people sometimes kill people systematically.
He said that in writing novels he has in mind a hard, high wall, and an egg
that breaks against it, and he will always stand on the side of the egg.
The wall is a metaphor for systems and the egg represents each person's soul,
he said, adding that people must not let the system control them.
While he received loud applause from the audience of around 700, a middle-aged
man said he was offended due to the speech's political content. He said it is
wrong to criticize Israel when receiving a prize from the nation.
Murakami's attendance came despite criticism from pro-Palestinian groups,
including a Japanese nongovernmental organization, that receiving the award
would lead to defending Israeli policy regarding the Palestinians.
The Jerusalem Prize winner is selected by a panel of judges appointed by the
Jerusalem mayor and is given to authors whose writings have expressed the idea
of individual freedom in society, according to the award presenter.
Noting that Murakami's books have been translated into 40 different languages
and have garnered acclaim the world over, including in Israel, the presenter
said the decision to confer the prize to him was ''made out of profound esteem
for his artistic achievements and love of people.''
''His humanism is clearly reflected in his writings,'' the presenter said.
Several of Murakami's works such as ''Norwegian Wood'' have been translated
into Hebrew and he is a widely known novelist in Israel.
Past winners of the Jerusalem Prize, created in 1963, include U.S. playwright
Arthur Miller and British philosopher Bertrand Russell.
==Kyodo
2009-02-16 22:38:14
