The author of novels such as <em>The World According to Garp</em> and <em>The Cider House Rules</em> that examine the complexities of sexual differences and other social issues is this year's winner of a lifetime achievement award celebrating literature's power to foster peace, social justice and global understanding, organizers said Tuesday. Dayton Literary Peace Prize officials chose John Irving, whose first novel, <em>Setting Free the Bears</em>, was published 50 years ago when he was 26, for the Richard C Holbrooke Distinguished Achievement Award. It's named for the late US diplomat who brokered the 1995 Bosnia peace accords reached in Ohio. _______________________<br/> Read more: <strong><a href="https://www.thenational.ae/arts-culture/books/refreshing-reads-for-summer-2018-1.751000">Refreshing reads for summer 2018</a></strong> <strong><a href="https://www.thenational.ae/arts-culture/books/discovering-abu-dhabi-s-only-second-hand-bookshop-1.749396">Discovering Abu Dhabi’s only second-hand bookshop</a></strong> <strong><a href="https://www.thenational.ae/arts-culture/books/the-english-patient-voted-best-man-booker-prize-winner-1.748317">The English Patient voted best Man Booker Prize winner</a></strong> _______________________ Sharon Rab, founder and chairwoman of the peace prize foundation, said Irving's books often show "the tragedy of a lack of empathy and sympathy for our fellow humans ... through books — especially Irving's books — readers learn to understand and identify with people different from themselves." Irving's all-time best-selling novel, <em>A Prayer for Owen Meany</em>, examines faith, fate and social justice through the intertwined lives of two boyhood friends. The National Book Award-winning <em>The World According to Garp</em> was made into a movie starring the late Robin Williams, and Irving won an Oscar for Best Adapted Screenplay for the movie version of <em>The Cider House Rules</em>. Irving said in a statement that if a prize helps bring attention to his subject matter, he welcomes it. At 76, Irving is working on his 15th novel, a ghost story titled <em>Darkness as a Bride</em>. His other writings have included the short story <em>Interior Space</em>, recognized with an O Henry Award in 1981. The award carries a $10,000 (Dh36,700) prize. Previous winners include Studs Terkel, Taylor Branch, Gloria Steinem, and Elie Wiesel. Irving and winners of fiction and nonfiction competitions will be honored Oct. 28 in Dayton.
