You are viewing your 1 free article this month. Login to read more articles.
The five-strong shortlist the £9,000 IPA Prix Voltaire has been announced featuring Egypt, Iraq, Ireland, Pakistan and Turkey.
The announcement at London Book Fair on Thursday afternoon (20th April), followed a session dedicated to strategic litigation against public participation (SLAPPs) and the role of publishers in guaranteeing freedom of expression of authors.
The IPA Prix Voltaire comes with a cash award of CHF10,000 (£9,000), through sponsorship from organisations which share the values that the IPA Prix Voltaire recognises. The winning laureate will be announced at the World Expression Forum (WEXFO) in Lillehammer, Norway on 21st May.
The shortlist includes Mazen Lateef Ali, from Iraq, who set up publishing house Dar Mesopotamia for printing, publishing and distribution and “became an established and respected member of the cultural community in Iraq”, prize organisers said. On 31st January 2020 he was kidnapped at gunpoint with still no news of his whereabouts, the IPA Prix Voltaire said.
The Günışığı Kitaplığı publishing house in Turkey has also been shortlisted. Founded in 1996, and meaning “sunshine library”, it specialises in contemporary literature for children and young adults. Prize organisers said: “In the last decade, a number of the publisher’s books have been removed from school reading lists, subjected to concerted social media pressure, banned from sale on online platforms and at book fairs and declared ‘obscene’ by the Board for the Protection of Minors from Obscene Publications. They are currently fighting seven separate cases of effective bans on books considered ‘harmful to minors’.”
Mehr Husain from Pakistan has been recognised for her work across journalism, writing and publishing. Founder of ZUKA Books, she established it in the wake of Pakistan’s ban on books from India and is “a sole voice that lobbied the government to help local authors… aiming to create a cultural disruption by speaking up for the freedom of creative expression, gender equality and inclusive publishing”, said award organisers. Husain has published books which "generated a national dialogue focusing on female inclusivity and empowerment" and in 2021 ZUKA Books co-founded Ananke Women In Literature Festival.
Fellow shortlistee Ahmed Mahmoud Ibrahim Ahmed (pictured) from Egypt is an author, photographer, and co-founder of Kotopia, an Egyptian Publishing House that was established in 2016 and dedicated to publishing books in different genres. The IPA said: “Ahmed was arrested in Saudi Arabia during Riyadh International Bookfair in October 2022 without justification. He was subsequently released and returned to Egypt on 5th March 2023.”
Finally, Mercier Press in Ireland was also shortlisted. Founded in 1944 by Captain Seán and Mary Feehan to provide accessible histories and cultural books for all who are interested in Irish life. “Mercier challenged Catholic dogma which dominated Irish society as well as censorship in Ireland, publishing books like Marriage Partnership (which had to be sold under the counter) and went on to publish a range of titles on previously undiscussed matters such as drug abuse, domestic violence, the sexual revolution, women’s rights and clerical sexual abuse,” said prize organisers. Mercier continue to publish controversial books – including titles like One Day in My Life by Bobby Sands; The SAS in Ireland by Raymond Murray; Lethal Allies: British Collusion in Ireland by Anne Cadwallader; Burnt Out: How the Troubles Began by Michael McCann.
Kristenn Einarsson, chair of the IPA’s Freedom to Publish Committee, said: “Publishers play a vital role in guaranteeing the freedom of expression of authors. This year’s 2023 IPA Prix Voltaire shortlist is a testament to publishers who put themselves at risk to publish the works of others and contribute to our societies by ensuring readers have access to multiple voices and perspectives.”
The nominees are publishers – individuals, groups or organisations – who have typically published controversial works amid pressure, threats, intimidation or harassment from governments, other authorities or private interests, the IPA said. Alternatively, they may be publishers with a notable record of upholding the values of freedom to publish and freedom of expression.
The prize was renamed the IPA Prix Voltaire in 2016 after previously being known as the IPA Freedom to Publish Prize, and was first established in 2005.
Sponsors of the award include Penguin Random House US, Samlaget in Norway, Albert Bonniers Förlag and Bonnier Media which are both based in Sweden, as well as three German publishers: Bonnier Media Deutschland, Holtzbrinck and Verlag C H Beck.