Japanese writer Haruki Murakami has won the Danish 2016 Hans Christian Andersen Literature Award.
“Haruki Murakami’s imaginative prose embodies a global view and a narrative zest that has parallels in the writing of Hans Christian Andersen,” the committee behind the Danish literature award said in a press release.
“Murakami’s capacity to boldly mix classic narrative art, pop culture, Japanese tradition, dreamlike realism and philosophical discussion makes him a fitting heir to the Andersen legacy,” it added.
The award has previously been given to Paolo Coehlo in 2007, J. K. Rowling in 2010 and Isabel Allende in 2012, the Japan News reported.
Along with the honor, Murakami, 66, will receive a bronze sculpture by sculptress Stine Ring Hansen, a monetary prize of 500,000 Danish kroner (around $71,351), and a diploma, ‘The Beauty of the Swan’.
The award will be presented at a ceremony next year in the Danish city of Odense, the Danish fairytale master’s hometown, next year, the committee said.
The award founded in 2007 is unrelated to the Hans Christian Andersen Award, another international recognition awarded to authors and illustrators of children’s books.
