Palestinian publisher Samir Mansour was awarded the 2024 International Publishers Association’s Prix Voltaire at the award ceremony of the 34th International Publishers Congress held yesterday in as part of the Guadalajara International Book Fair in Mexico. The IPA also announced a Prix Voltaire Special Award for the late Ukrainian author Victoria Amelina, who was killed last year in a Russian missile attack in Ukraine.

Per the IPA, Prix Voltaire acknowledges "publishers—individuals, groups or organizations—who have typically published controversial works amid pressure, threats, intimidation or harassment, be it from governments, other authorities or private interests," as well as "publishers with a distinguished record of upholding the values of freedom to publish and freedom of expression." The prize comes with a purse of CHF 10,000.

In its award citation, the IPA called the Samir Mansour Bookshop for Printing and Publishing "a critical part of the local community in Gaza, publishing the works of Palestinian authors and housing thousands of books in various languages.... The bookshop has continued its efforts to bring books to Palestinian youth, visiting evacuation centers and providing books and gift packages to displaced children."

Accepting the prize, Samir Mansour delivered a video address. "In 2021, my bookshop was completely destroyed; it was rebuilt in 2022," he said. "During the current war, the bookshop was also destroyed again and the second branch of the library bookshop was destroyed. However, I am still continuing my work which I grew up with and was raised in since my childhood. I am still publishing despite being on the Gaza strip. God willing us, we will continue to publish and print, no matter how difficult the circumstances we are living today. We will continue."

The ceremony’s tribute to Victoria Amelina used footage from last year's IPA Prix Voltaire ceremony, where Amelina accepted the 2023 Prix Voltaire Special Award on behalf of the late Ukrainian author and illustrator Volodymyr Vakulenko. "The Ukrainian literary community is grateful for the award," Amelina said at the ceremony. "This award is unique, meaningful, and moving to us, partly because no one out of hundreds of other Ukrainian writers who, like Vakulenko, were murdered throughout Ukrainian history ever received such an international award posthumously. I am sure that Volodymyr Vakulenko would like to dedicate this award to them too."

Kristenn Einarsson, chair of the IPA’s Freedom to Publish Committee added: "Before, during, and post conflict, the role of publishers is monumental. Peace is only possible in a society that welcomes education, values the exchange of diverse ideas, and promotes innovation, conversation, and compromise. This is why books as builders of empathy and sources of cultural knowledge, and the publishers that produce and protect them, serve as cultural institutions that promote peace and progress. Authoritarian governments and other powerful entities often tighten control over information during conflicts, imposing strict censorship and disseminating propaganda."

Einarsson continued: "Publishers not only face personal destruction in conflict, but may also face threats such as violence, imprisonment, or even death for publishing materials that are perceived as controversial. Those committed to freedom of expression have navigated these treacherous waters, often working clandestinely, in exile, or even in a context of war, in order to ensure the dissemination of knowledge."

IPA president Karine Pansa added: "Our two laureates this year as well as our shortlist encourage us to think about the role of publishing for peace and the relationship between conflict and publishing. This year’s Prix Voltaire laureate and nominees embody publishers’ efforts to promote books and the dissemination of information to prevent conflict and foster peace, even while facing extreme dangers themselves. Their commitment to publishing and the dissemination of knowledge becomes a beacon of hope amidst immense devastation."

A version of this story originally ran in BookBrunch.