Robert Caro, Salman Rushdie, and Sandra Cisneros were recognized on Monday night at an Authors Guild dinner gala that celebrated the importance of the written word in safeguarding democracy.

Cisneros, the fiction writer, poet, and pacifist, who was awarded the Baldacci Award for Literary Activism, said, “The world we live in is a house on fire and people we love are burning.” Caro, the Pulitzer Prize-winning historian, received the Preston Award for Distinguished Service to the Literary Community, while Rushdie, the novelist and outspoken critic of censorship, was honored with the Champion of Writers Award for his unwavering commitment to free expression.

The Authors Guild, representing over 15,000 published authors, advocates for various causes, including opposing book bans and addressing the implications of AI use. The event, held at Gotham Hall in midtown Manhattan, was hosted by "Saturday Night Live" star Ego Nwodim.

Caro, who accepted his award via a pre-recorded video, served as Guild president from 1979 to 1981. He remarked that many of the issues concerning writers decades ago still remain, including the timeless challenge of “waiting for their editors to get back to them.” He stressed that the Guild’s work is as urgent as ever, urging that authors cannot fight their battles alone.

“To receive this award from the community that has given me so much moves me deeply,” Caro shared.

Rushdie addressed the threats from the Trump administration to cut funding for universities and reduce support for the arts and humanities, emphasizing that “the sphere of culture is under attack as never before” in his lifetime. He added, “All segments of the story of America are in the process of being suppressed and perhaps even erased. Authors are the keepers of that story.”

Drawing from his reading of the 18th-century classic Candide, Rushdie reflected on the title character’s decision to withdraw from the chaos of the world and “cultivate his garden.” He challenged his audience, saying, “Is that how we are going to respond to the crisis of our time? Or are we going to engage with it and fight?”

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At 77, and having survived a brutal stabbing on stage in 2022, Rushdie acknowledged his age and struggles, but expressed that, “I may still have a little fight left, and I hope you all do, too.”