Philip Roth receives ‘Literary Service’ award for his own work, and advocacy for others

NEW YORK, N.Y. – Philip Roth’s latest honour was as much for what he has done for other writers as for his own work.

On Tuesday night, Roth received the PEN/Allen Foundation Literary Service Award. He was cited for such novels as “Sabbath’s Theater” and “American Pastoral,” but also for his advocacy in the 1970s and 1980s for writers in Czechoslovakia and other Eastern bloc countries during the Cold War. PEN is an international writers’ organization that advocates for human rights and free speech.

The 80-year-old Roth spoke before hundreds gathered for the PEN Literary Gala at the Museum of Natural History. Attendees included Martin Amis, Salman Rushdie and Jay McInerney.