Leila Aboulela, a Sudanese-Scottish author, has been announced as the winner of the 2025 PEN Pinter Prize. The award was declared at English PEN’s annual summer party in London. She will officially receive the award on October 10, 2025, at the British Library, London.
About Leila Aboulela
- Birthplace: Born in Cairo, raised in Khartoum (Sudan).
- Residence: Moved to Aberdeen, Scotland in 1990.
- Themes in Work: Migration, memory, faith, and the inner lives of Muslim women navigating cultural identity and belonging.
- Notable Works:
- The Translator (1999)
- Minaret (2005)
- River Spirit (2023)
Achievements
- First winner of the Caine Prize for African Writing (Leading African literary award)
- Winner of the Saltire Fiction Book of the Year Award and Scottish Book Awards
- Honorary Professor at University of Aberdeen
- Fellow of the Royal Society of Literature
About PEN Pinter Prize
- Named after Harold Pinter, British Nobel Laureate and playwright known for his moral clarity and political commitment. Nobel Prize in Literature (2005), known for his political plays and criticism of authoritarianism.
- PEN Pinter Prize: Literature + Freedom of Expression
- Awarded annually since 2009 by English PEN.
- Recognises writers who show an “unflinching, unswerving gaze upon the world,” especially on issues of justice, freedom of expression, and political courage.
- The award is shared with a Writer of Courage, someone persecuted for their writing or activism. The 2025 recipient will be named by Aboulela during the October ceremony.
Previous PEN Pinter Prize Recipients
- Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie (2018)
- Salman Rushdie (2014)
- Arundhati Roy (2024)
- Alaa Abd el-Fattah (2024) – Egyptian activist imprisoned for “spreading false news”
- Rahile Dawut (2023) – Uyghur folklore scholar, reportedly sentenced to life imprisonment by Chinese authorities