New York – The National Book Foundation announced that Salman Rushdie will receive its prestigious Medal for Distinguished Contribution to American Letters. The award, reserved for the nation’s most influential writers, will be presented at the National Book Awards ceremony in Manhattan on Nov. 18.
Rushdie’s American Journey
Rushdie, now 79, became a U.S. citizen a decade ago after living in the United States for many years. He said the citizenship deepened his sense of belonging to the country and made the honor feel especially meaningful. “I felt a sense of being part of it that was deeper than before,” he told the Associated Press in a recent Zoom interview.
Born in Mumbai and later moving to England, Rushdie now lives in New York City with his wife, fellow author Rachel Eliza Griffiths. He reflected on the award’s symbolism, noting that when Raymond Carver received a major American prize, he described himself as “out there in literature now.” Rushdie said he feels the same way about his place in American letters.
Presentation and Fellow Honorees
Longtime friend and fellow author Kiran Desai, also an Indian immigrant, will present the medal. Rushdie joins a short list of writers born outside the United States who have earned the Distinguished Contribution honor, including Saul Bellow (Canada), Isabel Allende (Chile) and Art Spiegelman (Sweden).
The ceremony will also recognize pediatrician‑literacy activist Perri Klass with the Literarian Award for Outstanding Service to the American Literary Community. Past recipients of that award include Maya Angelou, Terry Gross and Roxane Gay. Country music legend Dolly Parton was offered the award several times but declined, saying she did not need the recognition before her recent passing at age 80.
Literary Legacy
Rushdie’s body of work spans more than twenty books, including the Booker Prize‑winning Midnight’s Children, often cited as one of the greatest contemporary novels. While many readers associate him with the controversial 1988 novel The Satanic Verses, which sparked worldwide protests and a fatwa calling for his death, his career has continued to thrive.
In 2022, Rushdie survived a stabbing attack at a literary festival in western New York. The assailant, Hadi Matar, was convicted of attempted murder, transnational terrorism and providing material support to Hezbollah. Since then, Rushdie has published a memoir, Knife, and a story collection, The Eleventh Hour. The memoir is also the basis for an Alex Gibney documentary slated for release on Sept. 17.
National Book Foundation’s View
Foundation executive director Ruth Dickey praised Rushdie’s work, saying, “Salman Rushdie’s sweeping body of work is a celebration of literature’s power to shape narratives, build bridges, and form connections beyond borders, generations, and identities.” She added that his writing offers readers “unflinchingly honest stories that are culturally, politically, and geographically varied.”
Rushdie sees himself as an “immigrant writer”—first in England, now in America—joining a long tradition of writers who enrich American literature with diverse perspectives. “American writers come from everywhere, right? … There’s a long list,” he said, citing Vietnamese, African and other voices that have contributed to the nation’s literary tapestry.
Original reporting: KTBS 3 (Shreveport) — read the source article.
