PEN/Faulkner announced on Tuesday that Rabih Alameddine, the Lebanese author behind “The Wrong End of the Telescope,” has won the Award for fiction:
“We are excited to announce that Rabih Alameddine’s The Wrong End of the Telescope has been selected as the winner of the 2022 PEN/Faulkner Award for Fiction […]. We look forward to celebrating Rabih Alameddine’s exquisite novel, as well as the enduring work of his fellow finalists.”
According to the panel judges, Alameddine’s The Wrong End of the Telescope revolves around the complexities of refugees’ lives and “the intricacies of Mina’s relationships, examines the many angles of a timely and vital subject, and probes the life-changing choices humans are forced to make.”
They added that “the exquisite language suspends time and investigates the intricacies of seeking refuge, both from geopolitical disruptions and from one’s patterns of life.”
The Lebanese-American writer and painter has another novel included in the National Book Award finalist “An Unnecessary Woman.”
He will now receive a grant of $15,000 that comes with the award.
Alameddine said in a statement, “No writer can look at the list of books that have won the PEN/Faulkner Award and not be humbled and honored to have their book listed among them.”
The 42nd Annual PEN/Faulkner Award Celebration will take place on May 2, 2022.
The PEN/Faulkner Award for Fiction celebrates the best-published works of fiction written by American nationals. Each year, the foundation chooses three writers to serve as judges.
Last week, the PEN/Faulkner Foundation also named Oprah Winfrey for its second annual Literary Champion, a lifetime achievement honor.
Rabih Alameddine is a Lebanese-American painter and writer, and the author of many award-winning novels, including:
- Koolaids, finalist at the Lambda Literary Award (1999)
- The Hakawati, winner of Rome Prize/Premio Roma July (2009) (Italy)
- An Unnecessary Woman, winner of NCIBA Award (2014)
- The Angel of History, winner of the Lambda Literary Award (2017)
- Body of work, which won The Harold Washington Literary Award (2018)
