In 2010 SAGE took over publication of the award-winning magazine Index On Censorship. The first issue published last week, coinciding with their annual awards ceremony: the Index on Censorship Freedom of Expression Awards.
SAGE were pleased to sponsor a new award at the ceremony: the SAGE International Publishing Award, given to a publisher who has given new insight into issues or events, or shown a perspective not often acknowledged, or given a platform to new voices.
The publishing prize was awarded to Yael Lerer, the founder of Andalus Publishing Press. Founded in 2000, Andalus is a unique Israeli publishing house dedicated to the translation of Arabic literature and prose into Hebrew. The name reflects nostalgia for the period in Andalusia between the 8th and 15th centuries where Hebrew and Arab cultures coexisted. The publisher and founder Yael Lerer hopes to reverse the decline of Hebrew-speaking Israelis reading Arab literature and promote a greater understanding of the region’s Arabic cultural heritage in Israeli society.
Yael Lerer
Born in Tel Aviv, Lerer’s idea emerged after she learnt Arabic and began reading literature and poetry in the original, leading her to see how foreign Arab culture was to her, despite having had Arab friends and colleagues for years. Andalus publishes literature from Lebanon, Syria, Sudan and Algeria – countries it is nearly impossible for ordinary Israelis to visit – as well as Palestinian writers and poets. Andalus’s translations have appeared in Israeli schools and universities and have also encouraged other publishing houses to look to Arabic literature and scholarship.
It really was inspiring to hear the contributions all nominees were making to the fight for freedom of expression around the world. Other awards, including the Guardian Journalism Award and the New Media Award (sponsored by Google) were presented to a diverse range of contributors – from the freemuse award presented jointly to Turkish musician Ferhat Tunç and Iranian singer Mahsa Vahdat, to a special commendation to Telegraph journalist Heather Brooke for her expose on MPs expenses.
The surprise of the night was the new media award, which went not to a person, but to micro-blogging platform Twitter, for the technology’s role in enabling the world to see the plight of protesters during the 2009 Iranian elections. Keen Tweeter Stephen Fry delivered a video message congratulating Twitter:
More information about all the award winners is available on the Index website.
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