Palestinian publisher Samir Mansour, however, is an interesting choice by the IPA committee for its harrowing proximity to the ongoing crisis for Palestinians.

A Twice-Destroyed Bookstore in Gaza

The Samir Mansour Bookshop for Printing and Publishing has been a critical part of the local community in Gaza for more than 20 years, publishing Palestinian authors and housing thousands of books in various languages.

Samir Mansour

Destroyed in 2021, rebuilt and re-opened in 2023, the bookstore was severely damaged again in the Israel-Hamas war, very shortly after October 7.

In comments on his win of the Prix Voltaire, sent to IPA from Gaza, Mansour made an acceptance speech for the recognition, saying, “In 2021 my bookshop was completely destroyed. It was rebuilt in 2022. During the current war, the bookshop was also destroyed again and the second branch of the library bookshop was destroyed.

“However, I am still continuing my work which I grew up with and was raised in since my childhood. I am still publishing despite being on the Gaza strip. God willing us, we will continue to publish and to print, no matter how difficult the circumstances we are living in today. We will continue.”

Mansour has six children to care for. When provided with hundreds of thousands of dollars in donations to help him rebuild the first store lost to Israeli airstrikes, he mentioned that we was doing what he does for his children. It’s not fully clear at this point about his next steps, with the damage done to his rebuilt store in the current crisis.

Einarsson and Pansa: ‘Builders of Empathy’

IPA’s Kristenn Einarsson and Karine Pansa speak about Prix Voltaire winner Samir Mansour and special award winner Victoria Amelina at the IPA International Publishers Congress on December 4. Image: Publishing Perspectives, Porter Anderson

In his comments at the gala, Kristenn Einarsson, chair of the IPA’s Freedom to Publish committee said, helped the audience confront the unavoidable unease for some, of course, in this ongoing and profoundly controversial conflict, saying, “Before, during, and post- conflict, the role of publishers is monumental.

“Peace is only possible in a society that welcomes education, values the exchange of diverse ideas, and promotes innovation, conversation, and compromise. This is why books function as builders of empathy and sources of cultural knowledge, and the publishers who produce and protect them serve as cultural institutions that promote peace and progress.

“Authoritarian governments and other powerful entities often tighten control over information during conflicts, imposing strict censorship and disseminating propaganda. Publishers not only face personal destruction in conflict, but may also face threats such as violence, imprisonment, and even death for publishing materials that are perceived as controversial. Those committed to freedom of expression have navigated these treacherous waters, often working clandestinely, in exile, or even in a context of war, in order to ensure the dissemination of knowledge.”

Palestinian bookseller Samir Mansour in a video message sent to IPA on the news of his receiving his Prix Voltaire. Image: Publishing Perspective, Porter Anderson

‘The Relationship Between Conflict and Publishing’

The late Victoria Amelina is far better known to most of our readership than is Samir Mansour.

Many met her in 2023, when, in the 2023 Prix Voltaire ceremony, she spoke about her colleague, the poet Volodymyr Vakulenko, helping IPA with a special posthumous award for him. She was later killed in a Russian missile attack on Kramatorsk while working to document war crimes.

So the author Amelina, who had helped IPA with a special award for the lost Vakulenko, has become in her death now the recipient of a special IPA award, herself.

IPA Congress keynote speaker Oleksandra Matviichuk of the Center for Civil Liberties (Nobel Peace Prize 2022) was to accept Amelina’s posthumous award.

Karine Pansa, IPA president on Wednesday evening, working her way through the sheer gravity of these Prix Voltaire honors, said, “Our two laureates this year as well as our shortlist encourage us to think about the role of publishing for peace and the relationship between conflict and publishing.

“This year’s Prix Voltaire laureate and nominees embody publishers’ efforts to promote books and the dissemination of information to prevent conflict and foster peace, even while facing extreme dangers themselves. Their commitment to publishing and the dissemination of knowledge becomes a beacon of hope amid immense devastation.”

Pansa also spoke of how much many of these heroes risk, including their own lives and those of their families, in some cases “I don’t think I could do it,” she said softly, echoing how so many in the audience felt about the remarkable risks these awards highlight.

2024 Prix Voltaire Sponsors

• Albert Bonniers Förlag (Sweden)
• Holtzbrinck (Germany)
• Penguin Random House
• C.H.Beck (Germany)

More sponsors from the world publishing community are always needed to support the unparalleled efforts of the Prix Voltaire program.

Image: IPA awards program, Guadalajara, December 4. Image: Publishing Perspectives, Porter Anderson

More from Publishing Perspectives on issues of the freedom to publish and freedom of expression is here, more on the Prix Voltaire is here, and on the International Publishers Association is here. More on the World Expression Forum, WEXFO, is here.

Publishing Perspectives is the global media partner of the International Publishers Association.