Philip Roth Awarded French Legion of Honor
American-Jewish author Philip Roth was awarded France’s highest honor, the Commander of the Legion of Honor.
French Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius presented the award to Roth on Friday in New York.
The award recognizes civilians and soldiers. Roth was promoted to commander, the French news agency AFP reported.
“France is giving you back what you have given to my country,” Fabius said, according to AFP.
Roth, the author of nearly 30 novels, has and won numerous literary prizes. They include two National Book Awards, two National Book
Critics Circle Awards, three PEN/Faulkner Awards and the 1997 Pulitzer Prize for fiction.
He told a French magazine last year that he was done writing fiction.
Did you know that only 2% of Forward readers donate to support our nonprofit newsroom? That 2% make it possible for millions to read the Forward without a paywall or subscription — removing any barriers to the full and fair Jewish story.
But while the Forward is free to read, it isn’t free to produce. Big stories — like deep dives into the antisemitism data, political scoops or reporting trips to college campuses — take months of research and fact-checking. All while we keep you informed of what you need to know each day.
— Rachel Fishman Feddersen, Forward Publisher & CEO
Support our mission to tell the Jewish story fully and fairly.
