The literary nonprofit English PEN has awarded its PEN Pinter Prize to Jamaican-born dub poet Linton Kwesi Johnson, the Guardian reports.
Author Max Porter, one of the judges for the prize, said, “I can think of few people who more clearly embody the power of poetry to enact change. Few post-war figures have been as unwaveringly committed to political expression in their work.”
Johnson is a native of Jamaica who moved to the U.K. when he was 11. Eleven years later, he published his first poetry collection, Voices of the Living and the Dead. He has released several albums of his dub poetry, including Dread Beat an’ Blood, Forces of Victory and LKJ in Dub.
Penguin Modern Classics published a collection of his poetry, Mi Revalueshanary Fren, in 2002. He was only the second poet to have his work published by the series while still living.
“Awards are the nourishment of every artist’s ego,” Johnson said. “It is always nice to be acknowledged. It is especially gratifying to receive an award that honours the memory of esteemed dramatist, Harold Pinter, free thinker, anti-imperialist and human rights champion.”
The PEN Pinter Prize, named after playwright Harold Pinter, is given annually to a writer who displays a “fierce intellectual determination…to define the real truth of our lives and our societies.” Previous winners include Hanif Kureishi, Salman Rushdie, and Tom Stoppard.
Michael Schaub is a Texas-based journalist and regular contributor to NPR.
