[1]UNPERTURBED BY criticisms over accepting the prestigious Dan David prize, noted author Amitav Ghosh has said that he is “equally disappointed by those running this campaign of admonition”.
“We cannot let others decide for us and we cannot yield to such demands. If a reader from Israel wants to reach out to us, how can we not engage him. I am here to engage like-minded people,” the author said.
Addressing a gathering here on Tuesday evening, Ghosh, who read out excerpts from his book, said that among the growing list of people joining this campaign of admonition are some 50 Indians who sent him a letter saying that as friends they would advice him not to accept this prize, and he could at the most recognise some two of them. Booker-winning author Margaret Atwood who shares the prestigious million dollar award with the author also justified their acceptance of the award brushing aside criticisms saying, “it is always important to leave a space for dialogue”.
“We writers belong to a space one can call ‘Republic of writers’ and do not do cultural boycotts,” Atwood stressed. Their acceptance of the prize has generated an unsavoury controversy with several organisations supporting the academic and cultural boycott of Israel urging them to refuse the award. The award is partly funded by the Tel Aviv university. “Stand up to your principles, Margaret, and set an example for other decent intellectuals.... A total boycott of Israel in response to its total occupation of Palestine,” wrote Antoine Raffoul of London in an email to Atwood.
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