Agnes Heller wins Danish cultural prize

Hungarian writer and philosopher Agnes Heller won the 1 million kroner ( Ђ 134,000; US$160,000) 2006 Sonning Prize for her efforts to explore European culture, organizers said Monday. The biennial award established by the University of Copenhagen in 1950 is named after the late Danish writer Carl Johan Sonning.

Photo: Agnes Heller wins Danish cultural prize

The award committee cited Heller for describing Europe's culture during half a century with "a creative talent, a political cleverness, moral energy and intellectual integrity." She will receive the prize in a ceremony April 19 at the university.

The award is given to someone who has worked to forward and explore European culture. Previous recipients include Czech President Vaclav Havel, film directors Krzysztof Kieslowski of Poland and Ingmar Bergman of Sweden and Nobel literature laureates Dario Fo of Italy and Guenter Grass of Germany. In 2004, Mona Hatoum, a Palestinian artist living in London, won the Sonning Prize, reports the AP.

N.U.