Naguib Mahfouz Medal for Literature to Khalil Sweileh

The award–a silver medal and cash prize–has been presented each year since 1996. The medal’s presented on December 11, Mahfouz’s birthday. Tonight, it’s to be delivered by Prof. Rasheed el-Enany.

NOTE: The award went to Syrian writer Khalil Sweileh  for his novel Warrak Al-Hub, or Scribe of Love. You can read more about it at the Daily News of Egypt.

The award guarantees translation into English; books are eligible only if they’ve been published in Arabic but not yet in English.

Previous winners:

2008: Hamdi Abu Golayyel, A Dog with No Tail
2007: Amina Zaydan, Red Wine
2006: Sahar Khalifeh, The Image, the Icon, and the Covenant
2005: (*)Yusuf Abu Rayya, Wedding Night
2004: Alia Mamdouh, The Loved Ones
2003: Khairy Shalaby, The Lodging House
2002: (*)Bensalem Himmich, The Polymath
2001: Somaya Ramadan, Leaves of Narcissus
2000: Hoda Barakat, The Tiller of Waters
1999: Edwar al-Kharrat, Rama and the Dragon
1998: Ahlam Mosteghanemi, Memory in the Flesh
1997: Mourid Barghouti, I Saw Ramallah; and (*)Yusuf Idris, City of Love and Ashes
1996: (*)Ibrahim Abdel Meguid, The Other Place; and Latifa al-Zayyat, The Open Door

The stars represent my own favorites of the favorites; however, I have not read the 2006-2008 winners.