Christopher Merrill, director of the International Writing Program at the University of Iowa and an award-winning poet, writer, and editor, will receive the 2025 Ottaway Award for the Promotion of International Literature, Words Without Borders announced. Merrill will be honored at a ceremony on June 3 in New York City. A recording of the event will be made available on the WWB website.
"As we celebrate the twelfth anniversary of the Ottaway Award, we are particularly delighted to recognize Christopher Merrill and the vital work he has done to promote international literature as director of the IWP over the past quarter century," said WWB's board chair, Samantha Schnee.
The Ottaway Award recognizes Merrill's "extraordinary work as an advocate of international literature who has advanced its reach in the anglophone world through cultural diplomacy and by uplifting international writers. Founded in 1967, the International Writing Program is a cornerstone of global literary exchange, awarding Iowa City residencies to talented writers from around the world, bringing international authors into classrooms, and introducing American writers to other cultures, Over 1,600 writers from more than 160 countries have been in residence at IWP, including three Nobel laureates in Literature: Han Kang, Orhan Pamuk, and Mo Yan," WWB noted.
Merrill has published eight collections of poetry, including Watch Fire, for which he received the Lavan Younger Poets Award from the Academy of American Poets; and On the Road to Lviv. He is also the author of many edited volumes and translations and six books of nonfiction. His writings have been translated into nearly 40 languages, and his honors include a Chevalier des Arts et des Lettres from the French government and numerous translation awards.