Leon Wieseltier, the longtime literary editor of The New Republic, is among this year’s winners of the prestigious Dan David Prize, which is given annually to honor “contributions to humanity†and carries a $1 million dollar award.
Mr. Wieseltier’s award, which was first reported by Politico, prompted some kvelling in journalism circles, including at the online magazine Tablet, where Adam Chandler â€" after noting that Mr. Wieseltier “had once explained how his cowboy boots were better than mine and called me a sheygetz in the same conversation†â€" praised him for “writing one of the finest Jewish books of all time†(“Kaddishâ€), having “mercilessly slapped down excessive Bruce Springsteen enthusiasm,†and making an expletive-laced two-line cameo on “The Sopranos.â€
Mr. Wieseltier, reached by telephone in Israel, where he was attending the Jerusalem Book Fair, was more modest, clarifying that he will be sharing the $1 million purse with the French philosopher Michel Serres, his fellow winner in the prize’s “Present†category, and echoing the sentiments of the Nobel Prize-winning Italian poet Eugenio Montale.
“When Montale won the Nobel,†Mr. Wieseltier noted, “a reporter called him that evening and asked how he felt. He said, ‘Less bad.’ â€
Other winners of this year’s prize, which is! administered by Tel Aviv University, include the British historian Sir Geoffrey Lloyd, the French economist Esther Duflo, and Alfred Summer, an American opthamologist and epidemiologist who was recognized for “his unexpected and striking discovery in demonstrating that vitamin A has the power to save children’s lives.â€
