Arabic fiction set to go global

The winner will be announced at an awards ceremony in Abu Dhabi on May 6, on the eve of the Abu Dhabi International Book Fair.

Jana El Hassan with Sheikh Sultan bin Tahnoon Al Nahyan during the award ceremony in Abu Dhabi last year. Pawan Singh / The National

ABU DHABI // The contenders for this year’s International Prize for Arabic Fiction were announced on Monday.

The 16 books, which have been published in the past 12 months, were chosen from 180, the highest number of entries in the eight-year history of the prize.

The nominees come from nine countries, with the majority from Lebanon and Egypt. Among these, five authors have been longlisted before.

Five female authors have made the list this year, also the highest number yet.

The 16 will be reduced to a shortlist of six at a ceremony in Casablanca, Morocco, next month.

The eventual winner will be announced at an awards ceremony in Abu Dhabi on May 6, on the eve of the Abu Dhabi International Book Fair. The six shortlisted authors will receive US$10,000 (Dh36,7000), with $50,000 going to the winner.

Professor Yasir Suleiman, chairman of the board of trustees of IPAF, said choosing the longlist this year was a challenge.

“This varied list showcases writers from a range of artistic schools and generations. Our focus in choosing this longlist was the books themselves, rather than their authors,” he said.

“The longlist once again offers us a selection of stylistically and thematically varied novels from male and female writers spanning across the Arab world. Their combined and contrasting perspective makes a rich and fertile range of reading material. The prize celebrates them all for their role in enriching Arabic literature.”

One of the nominated books is Floor 99, by Lebanese writer Jana El Hassan.

She said she was thrilled to have been considered for the prize. “Novel writing has a great future in the Arab world. So far it has not been explored much. I think, it is going to be very promising in the global industry in near future,” said Ms El Hassan, 30.

“We are facing several crises as Arabs – oppression, extremism, identity questions, colonialism, occupation, religious literalism, wars and displacement,” she said.

“In their human value and dilemmas, these topics would be of an international interest because the whole world is eventually one big sphere where different humans, regardless of their nationalities and ethnicities, share mutual concerns about their survival.”

Hammour Ziada, a 37-year-old writer from Sudan, has been nominated for his novel The Longing of the Dervish.

He said the awards were an effective way for Arab writers to connect with the rest of the world.

“The awards promote new culture to the readers. It puts new writers and novels under the spotlight. It gives them the opportunity to be translated and known in the world.”

Fleur Montanaro, administrator for the awards, said IPAF provides an important platform for Arab writers to reach an international audience. “Many leading international publishers are looking for good Arabic literature. Such a platform connects them with good quality Arabic literature,” she said.

The winning novel will be translated into English to further its reach, Ms Montanaro added.

IPAF is run with support from the Booker Prize Foundation in London and funded by the Abu Dhabi Tourism and Culture Authority.