Frankfurt, June 25, 2024, The Europe Today: The German Publishers and Booksellers Association has announced historian and journalist Anne Applebaum as the recipient of the prestigious Peace Prize of the German Book Trade for 2024. The award recognizes Applebaum’s significant contributions to the preservation of democracy and peace, particularly in an era where democratic values are under increasing attack.
“At a time when democratic values and achievements are increasingly being caricatured and attacked, her work embodies an eminent and indispensable contribution to the preservation of democracy and peace,” the award citation praised Applebaum.
A renowned Polish-American journalist, Applebaum writes for The Atlantic and has extensively covered Central and Eastern Europe. Her early warnings about Vladimir Putin’s expansionist policies further highlight her deep understanding of the region’s geopolitical dynamics.
Applebaum is the acclaimed author of several influential books, including “Gulag: A History” (2003), “The Iron Curtain” (2012), “Red Hunger” (2019), and “The Lure of Authoritarianism” (2021), which explore the nature and impact of authoritarian regimes. Her work has garnered numerous accolades, including the Pulitzer Prize in 2004 and the Carl von Ossietzky Prize in 2024.
The Peace Prize, awarded annually at the conclusion of the Frankfurt Book Fair, will be presented on October 20, 2024. The 2023 recipient was British-American author Salman Rushdie. Previous laureates include literary luminaries such as Margaret Atwood, Orhan Pamuk, Susan Sontag, Amos Oz, and Vaclav Havel.
Born in Washington, D.C. in 1964 to Jewish parents, Applebaum studied Russian history and literature at Yale University, followed by international relations at the London School of Economics and Oxford. She began her journalism career in 1988 as a foreign correspondent in Poland for The Economist, covering the collapse of the Iron Curtain and reporting from Berlin during the fall of the Wall.
After stints at various British newspapers including The Spectator and The Evening Standard, and as a columnist for The Daily Telegraph, Applebaum moved to the United States to write for The Washington Post before joining The Atlantic, where she continues to be a prominent voice.
In recent years, Applebaum has been a leading chronicler of Vladimir Putin and Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. “This is a war that has changed Europe forever,” she told DW in 2023. “Assumptions that we had about Europe being forever safe [are] now over. This is a war that moves us into another era.”
Renowned German historian Karl Schlögel, an expert in Eastern European and Russian history, lauded Applebaum’s work as a rare blend of deep academic research and compelling storytelling. He emphasized that her Pulitzer Prize-winning book on Soviet gulags and her extensive research in Ukrainian archives have made her one of the foremost observers and commentators on the region.
Applebaum’s upcoming book, “Autocracy, Inc.: The Dictators Who Want to Run the World,” set for release later in 2024, is described as a crucial examination of how autocracies collaborate to undermine democracy and what strategies can be employed to counter them.
The Peace Prize of the German Book Trade honors individuals who have made outstanding contributions to literature, science, or art, promoting peace and mutual understanding. Anne Applebaum’s work stands as a testament to the power of scholarship and journalism in defending democratic principles and fostering global peace.
