Patti Smith has won the prestigious Polar Prize during a ceremony in Sweden.
A vitally important songwriter, Patti Smith was informed by the Beat tradition yet went on to inspire punk. Releasing her debut album ‘Horses’ in 1976, the singer is still pushing back the boundaries.
Often not given the recognition she deserves, Patti Smith last night picked up the prestigious Polar Prize. A Swedish award, the prize is given to artists who are recognised as advancing the creation of music.
Previous winners include Bjork and Ennio Morricone, with the Polar Prize usually shared between a pop artist and a classical musician.
This year Patti Smith claimed the award, sharing the prize with Stateside string ensemble Kronos Quartet. King Carl XVI Gustaf of Sweden presented both artists with their one million kronor (£96,555) prize at a special ceremony in the country’s capital Stockholm last night (August 30th).
Thanking her fans and band members, Patti Smith said she was “humbled and inspired” to be recognised in this manner. The singer also asked the audience to “turn their hearts, minds and resources” to the famine in Africa.
The award is the latest form of recognition for Patti Smith’s work. Her novel ‘Just Kids’ received huge acclaim on its release last year, and the singer is said to be working on a screenplay for a proposed cinema adaptation.
Alongside this, Patti Smith recently assisted the construction of a new career spanning compilation. ‘Outside Society’ collects her work on Arista and Columbia, with the CD containing personal reflections on each song written by Smith herself.
Containing eighteen songs, the album can’t possibly please every Smith devotee (wot not ‘Piss Factory’?) but the compilation acts as a superb introduction to her work.
Patti Smith is due to release ‘Outside Society’ on September 12th.
