A German city withdrew an award they were conferring to Novelist Kamila Shamsie over her support for the pro-Palestinian Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) movement.
Shamsie was recently announced to be the winner of the Nelly Sachs Prize. But, according to media reports, the organisers informed the jury has revoked the decision. They further said that no author will be awarded now for 2019.
“Despite prior research, the members of the jury were not aware that the author has been participating in the boycott measures against the Israeli government for its Palestinian policies since 2014,” the statement said.
“Shamsie’s political positioning to actively participate in the cultural boycott as part of the BDS (Boycott Disinvestment Sanctions) campaign against the Israeli government is clearly in contradiction to the statutory objectives of the award and the spirit of the Nelly Sachs Prize,” the statement further added.
Shamsie, who was born and grew up in Pakistan’s Karachi before shifting to London, has written multiple novels. She won the Women’s Prize for Fiction in 2018 and was longlisted for the 2017 Booker Prize.
The Nelly Sachs Prize is awarded once in every two years. The winner receives a cash prize of 15,000 euros ($16,500).
