NEW YORK (AP) — Rabih Alameddine’s “The Wrong End of the Telescope,” a second-person novel about a transgender doctor named Mina who works in a refugee camp for Syrians, has won the PEN/Faulkner Prize for Fiction .
“This novel explores the complexities of refugee life and the intricacies of Mina’s relationships, examines the many angles of a timely and vital subject, and probes the life-changing choices humans are forced to make,” according to a statement released Tuesday by awarding judges. “The exquisite language suspends time and investigates the intricacies of seeking refuge, both from geopolitical disruption and from one’s own ways of life.”
Alameddine, a Lebanese-American whose other works include National Book Award finalist “An Unnecessary Woman,” will receive $15,000. Philip Roth, EL Doctorow and Karen Jay Fowler are among previous PEN/Faulkner laureates.
“No writer can look at the list of books that have won the PEN/Faulkner Prize and not be honored and honored to have their book among them,” Alameddine said in a statement.
Last week, the PEN/Faulkner Foundation announced that Oprah Winfrey had been named its second annual Literary Champion, a lifetime achievement honor bestowed last year on LeVar Burton.
