NEW YORK (AP) — Ann Patchett has been awarded this year's Ambassador Richard C. Holbrooke Distinguished Achievement Award by the Dayton Literary Peace Prize Foundation. This prestigious honor recognizes a writer whose body of work reflects the foundation's mission of promoting peace, social justice, and global understanding.
The award is named in tribute to the late diplomat Richard C. Holbrooke, who played a crucial role in negotiating the 1995 Dayton Peace Accords, which successfully ended the war in Bosnia. Holbrooke served under President Bill Clinton and is remembered for his significant contributions to international diplomacy. Previous recipients of this distinguished award include notable figures such as former President Jimmy Carter, Holocaust survivor and author Elie Wiesel, and acclaimed novelist Margaret Atwood.
Patchett, 62, is a celebrated author recognized for her impactful novels, including "Bel Canto," "The Dutch House," and "State of Wonder." Beyond her literary accomplishments, she is the owner of Parnassus Books, a well-known independent bookstore in Nashville, Tennessee. She is also an advocate for fellow writers, a commitment that was acknowledged recently when she received the PEN/Audible Literary Service Award from PEN America during a gala in Manhattan.
In a statement released by the Dayton foundation, Patchett emphasized the importance of setting realistic goals when aspiring to make meaningful contributions to the world. She remarked, "If you wait to find a way to bring peace to the world there’s a good chance that nothing will be accomplished. Instead, I recommend bringing about peace in any small way that is available to you. Live as peacefully and as generously as possible. Invite others to stand with you or, better yet, go and stand with them."
In addition to Patchett's achievement, the Dayton Literary Peace Prize Foundation announced a list of finalists for its fiction and nonfiction awards for the year 2025. Among these contenders is Amanda Knox's memoir, "Free: My Search for Meaning," which recounts her life after her wrongful imprisonment in Italy and her eventual exoneration. Knox's memoir highlights themes of resilience and the power of the written word to foster peace.
Other nonfiction finalists include Danielle Leavitt’s "By the Second Spring," which chronicles events in Ukraine, Jack Fairweather’s "The Prosecutor: One Man’s Battle to Bring Nazis to Justice," and Eve L. Ewing’s "Original Sins: The (Mis)education of Black and Native Children and the Construction of American Racism." The fiction finalists encompass works such as Gish Jen’s "Bad Bad Girl," Karen Russell’s "The Antidote," and Sam Wachman’s "The Sunflower Boys." The winners of the awards will be announced in September, with each recipient receiving a prize of $10,000.
This year's recognition for Ann Patchett and the list of finalists reflect the ongoing commitment of the Dayton Literary Peace Prize Foundation to highlight writing that has the potential to effect change and promote understanding in a world that often struggles with conflict and division.
