 He was given a number of honorary awards up to his death, such as the membership of the American Academy of Arts and Letters in 1974, and the Ossietzky Medal of 1974 (the latter for his defence of and contribution to global human rights).Böll was President of PEN International, the worldwide association of writers and the oldest human rights organisation, between 1971–1973.His work has been translated into more than 30 languages, and he remains one of Germany's most widely read authors.