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Salman Rushdie Receives Liberatum's 14th Cultural Honour in London

award · 2026-07-10

Author Salman Rushdie was awarded the 14th Liberatum Cultural Honour at a ceremony in London's King's Cross, joining past recipients like Francis Ford Coppola and Chief Raoni. The event, held at Town Hall by Bottaccio, featured tributes by artist Bharti Kher and poet Rachel Eliza Griffiths. Rushdie spoke about threats to free speech, citing book bans in the U.S. targeting works like 'Huckleberry Finn' and Toni Morrison's 'Beloved' as attempts to erase Black history. The honour coincides with Liberatum's 25th anniversary since its 2001 founding by Pablo Ganguli.

Key facts

  • Salman Rushdie received the 14th Liberatum Cultural Honour
  • Ceremony took place at Town Hall by Bottaccio in London's King's Cross
  • Past recipients include Francis Ford Coppola and Chief Raoni
  • Tributes by Bharti Kher and Rachel Eliza Griffiths
  • Rushdie spoke about U.S. book bans targeting Black history narratives
  • Liberatum celebrates 25 years since founding in 2001 by Pablo Ganguli
  • Event attended by Tina Brown who praised Rushdie
  • Rushdie is a Booker Prize-winning author and CULT100 cover star

Entities

Artists

Institutions

  • Liberatum
  • CULTURED
  • Town Hall by Bottaccio

Locations

  • London
  • United Kingdom
  • King's Cross
  • Brazilian Amazon
  • United States

Sources