“Regrettably, our world remains troubled and divided with conflicts that breed hatred and suffering. As a novelist, my sincere hope is that through the sharing of positive stories, however small their impact might be, that they would contribute in the human heart, connecting human hearts, one with the other, and that this in turn, may contribute, if even in a modest way, to move the world towards peace.”

Japanese author Haruki Murakami has been named Cultural Personality of the Year for the 2025 Sheikh Zayed Book Award, highlighting his massive literary impact on Arab culture.