“I believe there is a wave of humanity that will allow us to overcome this period, but it is true that this is probably the most dangerous period in history,” stated Amin Maalouf after being announced as the winner of the 2025 FIL Prize for Literature in Romance Languages.
“I believe we face much devastation, but I think we must convince ourselves that we will eventually find the inner strength to survive,” indicated Amin Maalouf at a press conference held in Guadalajara, in western Mexico.
Maalouf won the award for his work “The Crusades Through Arab Eyes,” “which holds an essential place in contemporary literature by exploring with great lucidity the fractures and fusions of the modern world,” announced jury spokeswoman Carmen Alemany.
“His novels and essays explore memory and exile, rejecting the narrow-mindedness of nationalist or religious spirit,” and his “humanist, critical, and generous thought (…) reminds us that hope lies in the recognition of our shared heritages,” emphasized the spokeswoman.
The author of ‘Leo Africanus’ and ‘Samarkand’ noted that strengthening identity is one of the ways to deal with a world where there is little solidarity.
The author also criticized developed countries that have benefited from the talent of thousands of people who arrived in their territories to build their economies and cultural legacy, and now “question whether they should welcome migrants or not.”
The writer, residing in Paris since 1976, was born in Beirut in 1949 and will receive the prize on November 29 at the opening ceremony of the Guadalajara International Book Fair, held from November 29 to December 8, this year dedicated to Barcelona.
The FIL Prize for Literature in Romance Languages is valued at 150,000 dollars (approximately 128,000 euros) and recognizes the body of work in any literary genre.
This year’s edition, according to the organization of the Guadalajara FIL, received 63 nominations in total, representing 48 writers from six languages and 18 countries: Spain, El Salvador, Colombia, Mexico, Argentina, Nicaragua, Cuba, Chile, Japan, Lebanon, France, Senegal, Morocco, Guinea, Italy, Cape Verde, Brazil, and Portugal.
