Canadian author Margaret Atwood has won Spain’s Prince of Asturias prize for letters.
In a statement Wednesday, the jury praised the 68-year-old Atwood for work that covers several genres “with sharpness and irony,” adding that she “defends the dignity of women and denounces situations of social injustice.”
Atwood has published more than 25 volumes of poetry, fiction and non-fiction and has won prestigious awards including Britain’s Booker Prize in 2000 for “The Blind Assassin.”
She is also known for “The Edible Woman” (1970) and “The Handmaid’s Tale” (1983).
Eight Prince of Asturias prizes worth 50,000 Euros or about C$79,00 apiece are awarded each year in categories such as arts, scientific research, sports, letters and humanities.
The recipients also receive a specially commissioned Joan MirDo sculpture, a diploma and an insignia.
