American essayist and critic George Steiner won the Prince of Asturias Prize for Communications Wednesday for bridging cultural differences through his work.
The winner of the $26,500 award, named after Spanish Crown Prince Felipe, was announced by law professor Manuel Olivencia, head of the jury of Spanish intellectuals.
"Heir and participant of various languages and cultures, Steiner represents a harmonic synthesis of opposing tendencies in the vision of the world which makes us think in the possibility of an overall understanding," Olivencia said.
For more than 60 years, Steiner has written books and essays on a variety of topics in contemporary Western culture. His works, lauded for their intellectual prowess, literary depth and humility, include "The Death of Tragedy" (1961), "Language and Silence" (1967), "Real Presences" (1988) and "Errata: An Examined Life" (1998).