PUBLISHING BOOKS
2022 longlist represents authors from nine countries across the Middle East & Africa
International Prize for Arabic Fiction announces longlist for 2022 & judges
Wednesday 26 January 2022 , the International Prize for Arabic Fiction ( IPAF ) revealed the longlist of 16 novels in contention for the 2022 prize , which will award US $ 50,000 ( approximately Rs 37 lakh ) to the ultimate winner . All the novels selected for this year ’ s longlist were published in Arabic between 1 July 2020 and 30 June 2021 . The longlist has been chosen by the judges from a selection of 122 entries .
Collectively the longlisted authors span the age range of 30-65 and hail from nine countries . This year ’ s novels cover an extensive range of topics , from the struggle for artists to survive while facing war and state persecution , to the relationship between East and West , freedom , motherhood , and gender roles . While strongly affirming the cultural and religious diversity of Arab society , they condemn those who exploit sectarian conflicts to amass ill-gotten gains . The books give African and Arab women a voice , recounting the untold stories of two such women who lived in the shadow of famous Western writers .
The longlist has been chosen by a panel of five judges chaired by Tunisian novelist , academic , and previous IPAF winner ( The Italian , 2015 ) Shukri Mabkhout . Joining him on the judging panel are Libyan doctor , poet , and translator Ashur Etwebi , Lebanese writer and PEN International board member Iman Humaydan , Kuwaiti poet and critic Saadiah Mufarreh , and Bulgarian academic and translator Baian Rayhanova .
Authors on the 2022 longlist who have been previously recognized by the International Prize for Arabic Fiction are Ezzedine Choukri Fishere ( longlisted in 2009 for Intensive Care and shortlisted in 2012 for Embrace on Brooklyn Bridge ) and Haji Jabir
The Alley of the Italians by Boumediene Belkebir , Algeria ( AlIkhtilef ). Photo International Prize for Arabic Fiction
( longlisted in 2019 for Black Foam ). Former Nadwa participants Tarek Imam and Reem al-Kamali also feature on the 2022 longlist .
Many authors on the longlist are being recognized by the prize for the first time . They are — Nizar Aghri , Boumediene Belkebir , Yaa ' rab al- Eissa , Belal Fadl , Tarek Imam , Reem al-Kamali , Bushra Khalfan , Mohsine Loukili , Khaled Nasrallah , Mohammed al-Nu ’ as , Rouchdi Redouane , Mona al-Shammari , Dima al-Shukr , and Mohamed Tawfik .
The full 2022 longlist , listed in alphabetical order by author surname , is as follows : – In Search of Azar by Nizar Aghri ,
Syria ( Al Kotob Khan )
– The Alley of the Italians by Boumediene Belkebir , Algeria ( Al- Ikhtilef )
– The White Minaret by Yaa ' rab al- Eissa , Syria ( Al-Mutawassit ) – Mother of Mimi by Belal Fadl ,
Egypt ( Dar al-Mada ) – Farah ' s Story by Ezzedine Choukri Fishere , Egypt ( Dar al-Shorouk )
– Cairo Maquette by Tarek Imam , Egypt ( Al-Mutawassit )
– The Abyssinian Rimbaud by Haji Jabir , Eritrea ( Takween - Kuwait )
– Rose ' s Diary by Reem al-Kamali , UAE ( Dar al-Adab )
– Dilshad by Bushra Khalfan , Oman ( Takween - Iraq )
– The Prisoner of the Portuguese by Mohsine Loukili , Morocco ( Dar Mim )
– The White Line of Night by Khaled Nasrallah , Kuwait ( Dar Al Saqi )
– Bread on the Table of Uncle Milad by Mohammed al-Nu ' as , Libya ( Rashm )
– The Hungarian by Rouchdi Redouane , Algeria ( Dar al-Ain ) – The Maids of the Shrine by Mona al-Shammari , Kuwait ( Dar Al Saqi ) – Where Is My Name ? by Dima al-
Shukr , Syria ( Dar al-Adab )
– The Whisper of the Scorpion by Mohamed Tawfik , Egypt ( Dar al- Ain )
The International Prize for Arabic Fiction is an annual literary prize for novels in Arabic . It is sponsored by the Abu Dhabi Arabic Language Centre , at the Department of Culture and Tourism – Abu Dhabi , and was originally mentored by the Booker Prize Foundation in London .
The six shortlisted titles will be chosen by the judges from the longlist and announced in March 2022 . The winner of the prize will be announced in May 2022 . n
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Indian Printer & Publisher | 1 March 2022