Rushdie awarded Halldór Laxness prize at Háskólabíó in Iceland

Salman Rushdie has been awarded the international literary prize named after Halldór Laxness this year. The award ceremony will take place at Háskólabíó this evening, where Halla Oddný Magnúsdóttir and Halldór Guðmundsson will lead a discussion with the author.

Rushdie’s latest book, “Knife,” explores the assassination attempt he faced from a young man. He reflected on his thoughts following the attack, stating, “At first, I wanted to meet him. Sit down with him and ask: ‘What came over you? Why did you do this?’ But I doubted I would gain any useful insights. By using my imagination and narrative skills, I felt I could better reach him than by actually meeting him. So I tried to make him one of my characters.”

The award ceremony will begin at 5:30 PM. Registration is available online, and the event will be streamed live.