The International Prize for Arabic Fiction (IPAF) is the traditional curtain-raiser to the Abu Dhabi International Book Fair. The 2013 recipient will be revealed this evening and the winning author will appear on the ADIBF discussion sofa tomorrow night. Sometimes referred to as the "Arabic Booker", IPAF is supported by the Booker Prize Foundation in London and funded by TCA Abu Dhabi. The prize is both prestigious - guaranteeing the winner a wider readership both within and outside the region and the likely publication of an English-language translation of the successful book - and blessed with generous funding. Each of this year's shortlisted authors will receive a $10,000 (Dh36,730) prize, while the winner will be gifted a further $50,000. This year's authors hail from six nations around the region and, since none of the previous winners made the shortlist (the 2012 IPAF recipient Rabee Jaber was longlisted), a new name will be the talk of the literary world later today. The shortlisted works and authors are: <em>Our Master</em> by Ibrahim Issa (Egypt); <em>Hail Mary</em> by Sinan Antoon (Iraq); <em>The Bamboo Stalk</em> by Saud Alsanousi (Kuwait); <em>Me, She and the Other Women</em> by Jana Elhassan (Lebanon); <em>The Beaver</em> by Mohammed Hasan Alwan (Saudi Arabia); <em>His Excellency the Minister</em> by Hussein Al Wad (Tunisia). <em>Meet the winner of the International Prize for Arabic Fiction tomorrow at 7pm on the ADIBF discussion sofa.</em> nmarch@thenational.ae Follow us Follow us on <a href="https://www.facebook.com/thenationalArtsandLife">Facebook</a> for discussions, entertainment, reviews, wellness and news.
