Photo credits: Les Rencontres Philosophiques de Monaco
Internationally acclaimed American author Siri Hustvedt will be honored this week with the 2025 Principality Prize, a distinguished recognition of her lifetime contributions to philosophical thought and literature. The award, conferred annually by the Fondation Prince Pierre in partnership with the Rencontres Philosophiques de Monaco, celebrates a singular body of work that has expanded the frontiers of philosophy across disciplines.
Hustvedt, best known to many readers for her novel The Blazing World - longlisted for the 2014 Man Booker Prize and winner of the 2015 Los Angeles Times Book Prize for Fiction - will deliver the keynote lecture, titled “Betweens,” on Friday, October 17 at 7:00 p.m. at the Théâtre des Variétés in Monaco. The lecture, open to the public and conducted in English, will mark a rare occasion for audiences to engage directly with one of the most intellectually adventurous voices in contemporary literature.
The Principality Prize is awarded to an author whose oeuvre has not only embodied philosophical rigor but has also bridged disciplines - science, politics, theology, history, anthropology, ethics, and psychoanalysis. Hustvedt’s body of work exemplifies this interwoven approach, reflecting her long-standing engagement with both the humanities and the sciences.
The Fondation Prince Pierre, under the presidency of Her Royal Highness The Princess of Hanover, and the Rencontres Philosophiques de Monaco, chaired by Charlotte Casiraghi, together curate this honor. In 2024, Hustvedt was also recognized with the Openbank Literature Award by Vanity Fair for her literary career and holds multiple honorary doctorates from universities around the globe.
The Principality Prize does more than celebrate achievement - it honors intellectual courage, curiosity, and an unwavering commitment to complexity. In recognizing Hustvedt, Monaco affirms the essential place of thought in public life and the enduring power of literature to cross borders, both literal and conceptual.