Spanish poet and novelist Juan Goytisolo was awarded the Spiros Vergos
prize for Freedom of Expression at the opening ceremony of the Prague
Writers’ Festival 2012 on Sunday. Goytisolo, whose father was imprisoned
by the Republican government during the Spanish Civil war, lives in
self-imposed exile in Marrakech. In his acceptance speech, the Spanish
writer dedicated the award to German author Günter Grass, who published a
controversial poem on Israel and Iran a few weeks ago and was banned from
travelling to Israel as a consequence. The Spiros Vergos prize was
established in honor of a Greek poet, diplomat and journalist who was a
great friend of the festival and directed it in 2005. He died in Prague in
May 2007.