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This year, three women from different parts of the world have been distinguished with the Goethe Medal: Lebanese author, Emily Nasrallah; Russian journalist, translator and historian, Dr. Irina Lasarewna Scherbakowa; and Urvashi Butalia, who is from India. Once a year, the Goethe-Institute awards this official distinction from the German Federal Republic. It honours individuals who have displayed exceptional competence of the German language as well as in international cultural exchange.
On 28 August, Nasrallah and her colleagues will be honoured in a special ceremony in the city of Weimar, where great German writer Goethe was born. It will be attended by the Chair of the Goethe-Institute and a big international community of writers, novelists, poets, intellectuals and media professionals.
Born in 1931, Emily Nasrallah is one of the most revered writers and civil rights activists in Lebanon and the Arab world. Her literary works include five novels, 10 stories and several children’s books. Her works have been translated into English, French, German, Danish, and her novel Birds of September is considered an Arabic classic.
