Longlist Announced for 2013 International Prize for Arabic Fiction
This year, International Prize for Arabic Fiction organizers stress that the judges — whose names will not be revealed until the shortlist comes out January 9 — “did not allow themselves to be influenced by the fame of the writer, his or her political persuasion or nationality.”
The longlist was released this morning, overshadowed by ongoing clashes in Egypt.
There are repeats on the list (Rabee Jaber’s here for the third time, Waciny Laredj, Ibrahim Nasrallah, Muhsin al-Ramli) and there are famous people (Elias Khoury, Hoda Barakat, Ibrahim Issa). But, as any year, there are books that didn’t make the list.
Specifically, titles that focused on uprisings on Dec 2010-present did not make the rolls: “Whilst the Arab Spring did feature heavily across this year’s submissions in general, the judges noted that the subject still needs some time to mature.”
There were a number of works by younger authors, including The Beaver by Mohammad Hassan Alwan, who was one of the Beirut39, also second novels by young Kuwaiti writer Saud Alsanousi and young Lebanese writer Jana Elhassan.
For now, the list. More coming throughout the day, here and at EI, isa.
| Title | Author | Online | Publisher |
| Ya Mariam | Sinan Antoon | Profile & more Twitter: @sinanantoon | Al-Jamal |
| Toya | Ashraf El-Ashmawi | Profile & more | Al-Dar al-Masriya al-Lubnaniya |
| The Kingdom of this Earth | Hoda Barakat | Profile & excerpt | Dar al-Adab |
| I, She and Other Women | Jana Elhassan | Profile & interview with @Janaelhassan | Arab Scientific Publishers |
| Jaffa Prepares Morning Coffee | Anwar Hamed | Profile & interview | The Arabic Insitute for Research and Publishing |
| The Beaver | Mohammed Hassan Alwan | Profile & interview | Dar al-Saqi |
| Our Master | Ibrahim Issa | Profile & more | Bloomsbury Qatar Foundation |
| The Birds of the Holiday Inn | Rabee Jaber | Profile & excerpt | Dar al-Tanwir |
| Sinalkul | Elias Khoury | Profiles and interviews | Dar al-Adab |
| Lolita’s Fingers | Waciny Laredj | Profile & more | Dar al-Adab |
| The Return of the Sheikh | Mohammed Abdel Nabi | Interview with ArabLit | Rawafid |
| Lanterns of the King of Galilee | Ibrahim Nasrallah | Profile & more | Arab Scientific Publishers |
| The President’s Gardens | Muhsin al-Ramly | Profile & more | Thaqafa |
| The Bamboo Stick | Saud Alsanousi | Profile & more | Arab Scientific Publishers |
| His Excellency the Minister | Hussein Al-Wad | Profile & more |
Dar al-Janub |
| The Goatherd | Amin Zaoui | Profile & more | Al-Ikhtilef |
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December 24, 2012 @ 8:55 pm
Marvellous. I love this list, even though I can’t read it. Azazeel was just wondrous. Do you happen to know how long before last year’s winner is published in English?
December 24, 2012 @ 9:02 pm
🙂 You can read some of it. Sinan Antoon’s “Corpse Washer” (the book previous to this one) is coming out from Yale University Press this year, self-translated; Elias Khoury’s “Sinalcol” will be out from Archipelago in the US and Quercus in the UK, trans. Humphrey Davies, AUC Press will be bringing out Muhsin Ramli’s previous book, “Fingers of Dates.” I’m sure Hoda’s book will be snapped up before long, as well as probably a few of the others.
About last year’s (2012) winner, no English publisher (that I know of) has the rights to Rabee Jaber’s “Druze of Belgrade,” although New Directions took the rights to 2 other Jaber novels, and one of them, “The Mehlis Report,” will be out in…June I think? Or July. Summer. Trans. Kareem James Abu Zaid. You won’t want to miss it.
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