The Jury for the 1999 Prince of Asturias Award for Letters, convened in Oviedo, comprised of Mr. Andrés Amorós, Mr. Luis María Anson, Mr. Pedro Casals, Mr. Antonio Colinas, Mr. Juan Cruz, Mr. José Luis García Martín, Mr. Valentín García Yebra, Mr. Fernando González Delgado, Mr. Jon Juaristi, Ms. Ana María Matute, Ms. Marina Mayoral, Ms. Soledad Puértolas, Mr. Fernando Rodríguez Lafuente, Mr. Fernando Sánchez Dragó, Mr. Darío Villanueva, chaired by Mr. Víctor García de la Concha and with Mr. José María Martínez Cachero as secretary, has decided by a majority to grant the 1999 Prince of Asturias Award for Letters to the German writer, Günter Grass, whose literary work in the fields of creative and essay writing, and life-long civic-mindedness and humanism make him an outstanding figure in literature, critical humanism and moral commitment in our times.

His writing, of great aesthetic quality, pays passionate service to the values of freedom, and the defence of the weak, and gives decisive backing to the fundamental aspects of modern democratic systems. Günter Grass, a citizen of Europe, is an internationally acclaimed author, who considers art and morality to be inseparable.