The British writer David Cornwell, alias John le Carre, left, talks with the Polish journalist Adam Michnik, right, prior the 2011 Goethe Medals awards presentation of the Goethe-Institut in the Grand Ducal Palace in Weimar, central Germany, on Sunday, Aug. 28, 2011. David Cornwell, the grande dame of French theatre, Ariane Mnouchkine and Adam Michnik awarded with this medal, an official decoration of the Federal Republic of Germany, honors foreign personalities who have performed outstanding service for the German language and international cultural relations. (AP Photo/Jens Meyer)