Sen was chosen because he had “been dealing with issues of global justice as a thought leader for decades,” the jury said, adding that his contribution to the fight against social inequality was more relevant today than ever before.

The award ceremony, like most events at the book fair, was streamed online, with Sen joining via livestream from his home in the US city of Boston.

The Peace Prize, endowed with 25,000 euros (29,500 dollars), is awarded to those who make a contribution to literature, science or art in the name of peace.

“Who deserves this award more than someone whose work, for all its intellectual brilliance, distinguishes itself through one thing above all: humanity?” said German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier, who had to cancel his in-person attendance after being exposed to the coronavirus.

This year’s book fair, usually a massive exhibition attended by large numbers of international visitors, was held almost exclusively online, with 4,400 digital exhibitors from 110 countries.

The publishers’ trade fair is billed as the most important of its kind worldwide. Its history stretches back to the invention of the printing press in the 15th century.