Peter Balakian receives 2015 Armenian Presidential Award
According to Armenian presidential press service, the awards - the certificates with the inscription and the prize money - for sigificant contribution to a range of spheres were handed over by Armenian President Serzh Sargsyan and Albert Poghossian, Diaspora philanthropist and representative of Robert Boghossian & Sons Foundation.
“Today we award Egyptian documentalists who created “Who Killed The Armenians?” film and Armenian-American writer Peter Balakian for contribution to recognition of the Armenian Genocide. Armenian people are grateful to you for your grand work. Mr. Nasri, Ms. Zaki, you are the best proof that the Armenian Genocide is not just an Armenian issue, but a pain shared by all people of good will in the world regardless of their national identity and religion. Mr. Balakian showed the power of this pain expressed in art through his two identities - Armenian and American - and English language,” observed Serzh Sargsyan.
The 2015 Presidential Award for Significant Contribution to the Recognition of the Armenian Genocide was given to Peter Balakian (USA) for presenting and covering the Armenian Genocide as a universal issue through artistic means, as well as to Mohamed Hanafi Nasri and Myriam Zaki (Egypt) for “Who Killed The Armenians?” documentary film.
It is worth reminding that Peter Balakian was awarded Pulitzer Prize this April for his “Ozone Journal” book.
You can view the list of awardees of the 2015 Armenian Presidential Award here.