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“Watan, for me, is a way to teach others what I’m learning as well — in a sort of an easily digestible way in a hypervisual and overloaded world.”

So, from the 2018 Prize year onwards, IPAF organizers are introducing a new “quota system” that privileges large and established publishers, whereby the number of books each publisher can submit “will depend on that publisher’s inclusion in longlists over the previous five years[.]”

“Finally, I thank those who selected my novel for this prize: you have awarded me a moment of joy, of which I was most in need.”

“The candid depiction of the worsening situation of Egyptian Christians and their alienation in their own country is touching and sensitively written,” prize judge Rasheed El-Enany wrote in his remarks.

“The year’s judges are Tahia Abdel Nasser, Shereen Abouelnaga, Humphrey Davies, Rasheed El-Enany, and Mona Tolba.”

What’s going on in the fictional Moroccan classroom?

“But Raba’i al-Madhoun (IPAF) and Mazen Maarouf (Al-Multaqa) were not the only Palestinian authors to win accolades this year.”

“I will admit to a hope, though: that they are the tip of an iceberg, and that more such works will be discovered in due course. That’s the more interesting scenario.”

Just to be sure, I drove past her slowly and watched her in the mirror as she looked my way. I stopped and went back. I turned off the music and rolled down my window. With the innocence and politeness of a child, I said: “Are you going somewhere madam? Would you like a ride?”