Nine writers from Algeria, Egypt, Eritrea, Libya, and Morocco feature on the longlist for the International Prize for Arabic Fiction 2022 announced today.
The International Prize for Arabic Fiction is the most prestigious literary prize in the Arab world. Its aim is to reward excellence in contemporary Arabic creative writing and to encourage the readership of high-quality Arabic literature internationally through the translation and publication of winning and shortlisted novels in other major languages. Previous winners include Bahaa Taher (2008), Yusuf Zeydan (2009), Abdo Khal (2010), Mohammed Achaari (2011), Rabee Jaber (2012), Saud Alsanousi (2013), Ahmed Saadawi (2014), Shukri Mabkhout (2015), Rabai al-Madhoun (2016), Mohammed Hasan Alwan (2017), Ibrahim Nasrallah (2018), and Hoda Barakat (2019).
The panel of judges for 2022 is chaired by Tunisian novelist, academic and previous winner 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.
Shukri Mabkhout, Chair of the 2022 Judges, said, “Submissions for the Prize this year were of high quality, proving once again that the revival and development of the Arabic novel make it the best literary genre to give expression to the concerns of Arab peoples today, in their different local environments.”
This longlist announced today features the following nine African writers;
Author, Title, Country, Publisher
- Boumediene Belkebir, The Alley of the Italians, Algeria, Al-Ikhtilef
- Belal Fadl, Mimi’s Mother, Egypt, Dar al-Mada
- Ezzedine Choukri Fishere, Farah’s Story, Egypt, Dar al-Shorouk
- Tareq Imam, Cairo Maquette, Egypt, Al-Mutawassit
- Haji Jaber, The Abyssinian Rimbaud, Eritrea, Takween – Kuwait
- Mohsine Loukili, The Prisoner of the Portuguese, Morocco, Dar Mim
- Mohammed al-Nu’as, Bread on the Table of Uncle Milad , Libya, Rashm
- Rouchdi Redouane, The Hungarian, Algeria, Dar al-Ain
- Mohamed Tawfik, The Whisper of the Scorpion, Egypt, Dar al-Ain
The six shortlisted titles will be chosen by the judges from the longlist and announced in March before the winner is revealed in May.
