The selected novels in the longlist were chosen from 124 entries from 14 countries
The International Prize for Arabic Fiction, also known as the Arabic Booker, announced on Wednesday the longlist of 16 novels in contention for the 2018 Prize.
The longlist includes two young Egyptian authors; Ahmed Abdel Latif and Rasha Adly.
The prize also revealed the judging panel that chose the longlist. The panel was chaired by Jordanian academic, critic, poet, novelist and playwright Ibrahim Al-Saafin.
The 2018 judges serving alongside Ibrahim Al-Saafin are Inam Bioud, an Algerian academic, translator, novelist and poet; Jamal Mahjoub, a Sudanese-British writer and novelist; Mahmoud Shukair, a Palestinian short story writer and novelist; and Barbara Skubic, a Slovenian writer and translator.
The full 2018 longlist, with author names in alphabetical order, is as follows:
Author
Title
Country of origin
Publisher
Ahmed Abdel-Latif
The Earthen Fortress
Egypt
Dar al-Ain
Atef Abu Saif
Christina
Palestine
Al-Ahlia
Rasha Adly
Passion
Egypt
Arab Scientific Publishers
Fadi Azzam
Huddud's House
Syria
Dar Al-Adab
Antoine Douaihy
The Last Country
Lebanon
Arab Scientific Publishers
Amir Tag Elsir
Flowers Consumed by Fire
Sudan
Dar Al-Saqi
Aziz Mohammed
The Critical Case of "K"
Saudi Arabia
Dar Tanweer, Lebanon
Ibrahim Nasrallah
The Second War of the Dog
Palestine
Arab Scientific Publishers
Amjad Nasser
Here is the Rose
Jordan
Dar Al-Adab
Hamed Al-Nazir
The Black Peacock
Sudan
Medad
Shahad Al-Rawi
Baghdad Clock
Iraq
Dar Al-Hikma, London
Taleb Al-Refai
Al-Najdi
Kuwait
That Al-Salasil
Walid Shurafa
Heir of the Tombstones
Palestine
Al-Ahlia
Dima Wannous
The Frightened Ones
Syria
Dar Al-Adab
Hussein Yassin
Ali, the Story of an Honourable Man
Palestine
Dar Al-Ru'aat
Amin Zaoui
Leg Over Leg - in the Sighting of the Lovers' Crescent
Algeria
Al-Ikhtilef
Of the 16 authors chosen, many are recognisable names, with three having been shortlisted for the Prize previously – Atef Abu Saif (2015,A Suspended Life); Amir Tag Elsir (2011,The Grub Hunter); and Ibrahim Nasrallah (2009,Time of White Horses). The latter two have also been longlisted and served as mentors on the Prize’s Nadwa – an annual writing workshop for talented, emerging writers.
A further five of this year’s list have been previously longlisted; Fadi Azzam, Antoine Douaihy, Hamed Al-Nazir, Taleb Al-Refai and Amin Zaoui.
Ahmed Abdel-Latif, Rasha Adly, Aziz Mohammed, Amjad Nasser, Shahad Al Rawi, Walid Shurafa, Dima Wannous and Hussein Yassin all make their first appearance on the list.
The two youngest authors on the list, Saudi Arabian author Aziz Mohamed and Iraqi Shahad Al Rawi, are longlisted with their debut novels. Shahad Al-Rawi’sBaghdad Clockhas already been translated into English and is due to be published by Oneworld Publications this year.
Jaudges panel chair Al-Saafinsaid that "the novels on the longlist are thematically and stylistically varied: realistic, fantastical, historical and social, but all in their different ways tackle Arab reality and the challenges faced by Arab societies on political, cultural and human levels, as well as grappling with questions of identity. They bring to life the tragic distortions and dreams of these societies, delving deep into the past to throw light on current issues."
The prize also announced that the shortlist will be announced in February and the winner will be announced at an awards ceremony held at the Fairmont Bab Al-Bahr in Abu Dhabi on 24 April, the eve of the Abu Dhabi International Book Fair. The six shortlisted finalists will receive $10,000, with a further $50,000 going to the winner.
Last year’s winner of the prize wasA Small Deathby Mohamed Hasan Alwan.
This year will see the publication in English of 2016 winner Rabai Al-Madhoun’sDestinies: Concerto of the Holocaust and Al-Nakbaby Hoopoe Fiction, along with 2014 winner Ahmed Saadawi’sFrankenstein in Baghdadby Oneworld in the UK and Penguin Books in the US.
Other winners already available in English include Baha Taher’sSunset Oasisin 2009 and Youssef Ziedan’sAzazeelin 2012. English translations of Abdo Khal’sSpewing Sparks as Big as Castlesand MohammedAchaari’s The Arch and the Butterflywere published in 2014. Saud Alsanousi’sThe Bamboo Stalkwas published in 2015 and Raja Alem’s novel,The Dove’s Necklacein 2016.
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