Salman Rushdie named 2026 recipient of National Book Foundation medal

Salman Rushdie has been named the 2026 recipient of the National Book Foundation’s Medal for Distinguished Contribution to American Letters, honoring a literary career spanning more than five decades. He will receive the lifetime-achievement award from longtime friend and fellow author Kiran Desai at the 77th National Book Awards ceremony in New York on November 18. Rushdie, the Mumbai-born author of “Midnight’s Children” and “The Satanic Verses,” is the 39th recipient and only the fourth born outside the United States. The foundation cited his wide-ranging fiction, advocacy for free speech and contributions to American literary life, including his leadership of PEN America and co-founding of the PEN World Voices Festival. Rushdie said the honor carries special meaning after becoming a U.S. citizen, describing it as a deeper sense of belonging in American literature.