The Sheikh Zayed Book Award today announced shortlists in three more categories: Translation (into and out of Arabic), “Arab Culture in Other Languages,” and “Publishing & Technology.” All three had multilingual shortlists.
From a longlist of 10 entries, three candidates have been shortlisted in the Translation category. They are::
Egyptian scholar Ahmed Aladawi’s translation from English into Arabic of “نشأة الإنسانيات عند المسلمين وفي الغرب المسيحي” (The Rise of Humanism in Classical Islam and the Christian West) by George Makdisi, published by Madarat for Research and Publishing in 2021.
Syrian scholar Kassem Almekdad’s translation from French into Arabic of “رذائل المعرفة – بحث في الأحكام الأخلاقية الفكرية” (Les Vices du savoir: Essai d’éthique intellectuelle) by Pascal Engel, published by Ninawa Studies Publishing & Distribution in 2021.
And Iraqi scholar and writer Nawal Nasrallah’s translation from Arabic into English of “فضالة الخوان في طيبات الطعام والألوان” (Best of Delectable Foods and Dishes from Al-Andalus and Al-Maghrib: A Cookbook by Thirteenth-Century Andalusi Scholar Ibn Razin Al-Tujibi, 1227–1293) by Ibn Razin Al-Tajibi, published by Brill Publishing in 2021.
The shortlist for the “Arab Culture in Other Languages” category has eight titles, made up of works composed in English, French, German, Spanish, Italian and Russian. They are:
Revealed Sciences: The Natural Sciences in Islam in Seventeenth-Century Morocco by Justin K. Stearns (USA), issued by Cambridge University Press in 2021.
The Arabian Nights in Contemporary World Cultures: Global Commodification, Translation, and the Culture Industry by Dr. Muhsin J. Al-Musawi (Iraq/USA), issued by Cambridge University Press in 2021.
Avicenne – Prophétie et gouvernement du monde by Meryem Sebti (France), issued by Editions du Cerf in 2021.
L’ Alhambra: à la croisée des histoires by Edhem Eldem (Turkey), issued by Les Belles Lettres in 2021.
Die Deutschen und der Orient. Faszination, Verachtung und die Widersprüche der Aufklärung by Joseph Croitoru (Germany), issued by Carl Hanser Verlag in 2018.
El perfume de la existencia: Sufismo y no-dualidad en Ibn Arabī de Murcia by Fernando Mora (Spain), issued by Almuzara in 2019.
Surrealismi Arabi 1938-1970: Il Surrealismo e la letteratura araba in Egitto, Siria e Libano by Arturo Monaco (Italy), issued by Istituto per l’Oriente C. A. Nallino in 2020.
Этимологический словарь древнеарабской лексики (на материале избранных текстов доисламской поэзии) (Etymologic Dictionary of Ancient Arabic (Based on the Material of Selected Texts of Pre-Islamic Poetry) by Anna Belova (Russia), issued by Institute of Oriental Studies of the Russian Academy of Sciences in 2016.
Finally, the shortlist for the “Publishing & Technology” category has three candidates: the Internationale Jugendbibliothek (International Youth Library) in Munich, Germany; Bibliotheca Alexandrina in Egypt; and Sindbad – Actes Sud Publishing in France.
Winners are set to be announced next month.
Shukran for the update! Nawal was thrilled to know her massive translation has been shortlisted for the Translation Award!
Hope she takes the prize — it would certainly be richly deserved!