Goethe prize announced
Author | 16.04.2008 15:51
Frankfurt Mayor Petra Roth presented Oz the award which includes EUR 50,000 on the birthday of German literary giant Johann Wolfgang von Goethe at Frankfurt's St Paul's Church.
Roth praised Oz as a "courageous fighter" against fundamentalism and radicalism.
Oz, who has be honoured with numerous awards for his political essays as well as his fiction, has been involved in the Middle East peace process for years.
The prize, which is awarded every three years, went to the 66- year-old Oz for his "thematic diversity" and "stylistic virtuosity", the awards judges said.
"Through his literary works Amos Oz transmits to readers in all parts of the world a deep profound all-surpassing feeling of humanity, moral values and cooperation," the judges said.
The highest honour bestowed by the central German city of Frankfurt, the Goethe Prize has been in existence since 1927. Previous recipients included Sigmund Freund (1930), Ingmar Bergman (1976) and Siegfried Lenz (1999).
Author