International Prize for Arabic Fiction 2018 announces nominees

MENA

Published: 2018-02-22 14:20

Last Updated: 2024-03-27 21:50


The International Prize for Arabic Fiction (IPAF) is the most prestigious and important literary prize in the Arab world.
The International Prize for Arabic Fiction (IPAF) is the most prestigious and important literary prize in the Arab world.

What a better way to celebrate International Mother Language Day than checking out the books shortlisted for the International Prize for Arabic Fiction.

On 21 February the Ibrahim Al Saafin, chair of the prize, announced the shortlisted authors of 11th edition of the prize during a press conference held at the Abdul Hameed Shoman Foundation in Amman, Jordan.

There are six authors competing for the award. Among them are the two youngest applicants in the longlist, Iraqi Shahed Al Rawi for his book Baghdad Clock and Saudi Aziz Mohammed, author of The Critical Case of “K”.

Heir of the Tombstones author Walid Shurafa from Palestine and Syrian author Dima Wannous for The Frightened Ones are being recognized for the first time.

Both Amir Tag Elsir from Sudan for his book Flowers in Flames, and Palestinian-Jordanian Ibrahim Nasrallah author of The Second War of the Dog have been shortlisted previously.

Alongside chair Ibrahim Al Saafin, a Jordanian academic, critic, poet, novelist and playwright, the 2018 judges are: Inam Bioud, an Algerian academic, translator, novelist and poet; Jamal Mahjoub, a Sudanese-English writer and novelist; Mahmoud Shukair, a Palestinian short story writer and novelist; and Barbara Skubic, a Slovenian writer and translator.

During the presentation of the shortlisted books a panel discussion was held on the impact of the Prize over the last decade, including the current state of Arabic literature and translation.

One of the main aims of the International Prize for Arabic Fiction is to encourage the translation of Arabic literature into other languages. This allows for Arabic fiction works to be brought to a global audience.