Where were you when the shortlist was announced? What was your reaction?
It was at dawn here in the US, and I usually wake up late because I stay up late at night. But that...
Where were you when the shortlist was announced and what was your reaction?
I am currently studying at the King Fahd School of Translation in Tangiers, Morocco. When the...
Monday 29th March 2021: The Eye of Hammurabi by Abdulatif Ould Abdullah, Notebooks of the Bookshop Keeper by Jalal Bargas, The Calamity of the Nobility by Amira Ghenim,...
When did you begin writing Two Green Eyes and where did the inspiration for it come from?
The idea came to me in 2015, when the trial of Mariam Yehye began in Khartoum. She...
When did you begin writing Hole to Heaven and where did the inspiration for it come from?
My journey with the novel began in the final months of 2015 and early 2016. The...
When did you start writing The Calamity of the Nobility and where did the inspiration for it come from?
I do not stop asking myself these two questions: when and from where?...
When did you begin writing Longing for the Woman Next Door and where did the inspiration for it come from?
I had the idea for Longing for the Woman Next Door for many years,...
When did you begin writing Fruit for the Crows and where did the inspiration for it come from?
At the end of 2013, as I was putting the finishing touches to my novel Steamer...
When did you begin writing The Orchards of Basra and where did the inspiration for it come from?
I began planning for it, making notes about the characters and the world of...
When did you begin writing The Life of Butterflies and where did the inspiration for it come from?
I began writing The Life of Butterflies in 2017. I sometimes base my...
When did you begin writing The Night Bird and where did the inspiration for it come from?
I began writing it in 2013, when I left Italy after a long time living there. I...
When did you begin writing Daughter of the Tigris and where did the inspiration for it come from?
I began writing it in 2016. It wasn’t really a question of inspiration, but...
When did you begin writing The Eye of Hammurabi and where did the inspiration for it come from?
I began writing The Eye of Hammurabi at the beginning of Summer 2018. The main...
When did you start writing File 42 and where did the inspiration for it come from?
The idea of writing File 42 was born in October 2017, when I happened to read a few lines...
When did you begin writing J and where did the inspiration for it come from?
I began writing J in 2013 and it took two months to write the first draft. Then I put it aside...
When did you begin writing Notebooks of the Bookshop Keeper and where did the inspiration for it come from?
I began writing Notebooks of the Bookshop Keeper in the Winter of...
When did you begin writing The Bird Tattoo and where did the inspiration for it come from?
When I learned in 2014 of the opening of a market in Iraq and Syria where women...
When did you begin writing M for Murderer, S for Sa’id and where did the inspiration for it come from?
I began writing it at the end of 2016. I’m wary of how people usually...
On Monday 1st March 2021 the International Prize for Arabic Fiction (IPAF) revealed the longlist of 16 novels in contention for the 2021 prize, which will award $50,000 to...
The International Prize for Arabic Fiction (IPAF) is a UK based prize, constituted in and working from London as a not-for profit organisation. The prize was inaugurated in...
The International Prize for Arabic Fiction is delighted to announce that submissions will open for the 14th edition of the prize on Friday 1 May 2020. Submissions will close...
The Spartan Court by Abdelouahab Aissaoui was today announced as the winner of the 13th International Prize for Arabic Fiction (IPAF). The novel, published by Dar Mim, was...
We hear from shortlisted author Said Khatibi about his novel Firewood of Sarajevo.
Where were you when the shortlist was announced and what was your reaction?
I was at my...
We speak with shortlisted author Khalil Alrez about his novel The Russian Quarter.
Where were you when the shortlist was announced and what was your reaction?
I was at home...
Where were you when the shortlist was announced and what was your reaction?
I was watching the livestreaming of the Prize and suddenly the internet was cut off. I found out...
Ahead of the 2020 winner announcement for the International Prize for Arabic Fiction on Tuesday 14 April 2020, we spoke to some of this year’s shortlist to find out what it...
Where were you when the shortlist was announced and what was your reaction?
I was at home working on my new book, Imperfection. A dear friend called to congratulate me on...
The winner of the International Prize for Arabic Fiction 2020 will be announced from 12 noon (BST) / 3pm (GST) on Tuesday 14 April 2020.
The announcement will be made...
Announcement from the International Prize for Arabic Fiction 2020
The International Prize for Arabic Fiction has cancelled its 2020 awards ceremony, which was due to take...
Tuesday 4 February 2020: The Spartan Court by Abdelouahab Aissaoui, The Russian Quarter by Khalil Alrez, The King of India by Jabbour Douaihy, Firewood of Sarajevo by Said...
When did you start writing Hammam Dhahab and where did the inspiration for it come from?
I began writing Hammam Dhahab in January 2017. The first stage was conducting...
When did you start writing The War of the Gazelle and where did the inspiration for it come from?
I wrote the first pages in June 2018. I had been collecting information...
When did you begin writing What About the Jewish Lady, Rachel? And where did the inspiration for it come from?
About six years ago, I wrote an article in one of the...
When did you begin writing Fardeqan and where did the inspiration for it come from?
I began writing Fardeqan, which is about the life of Avicenna, since I am generally...
When did you begin writing The Mingling of the Seasons and where did the inspiration for it come from?
A year after the publication of my novel Game of Happiness, I had a new...
When did you begin writing The Tank and where did the inspiration for it come from?
I started working on The Tank at the end of 2013. The inspiration for every novel I have...
When did you begin writing Firewood of Sarajevo and where did the inspiration for it come from?
I had the idea seven years ago, as I was wandering around Sarajevo, talking to...
When did you begin writing Sleeping in the Cherry Field and where did the inspiration for it come from?
The idea for the novel came to me in the winter of 2013, when I was...
The shortlist for the International Prize for Arabic Fiction 2020 will be announced at a press conference in Marrakesh between 11-11.30am (10-10.30am GMT / 2-2.30pm GST) on...
When did you begin writing The Russian Quarter and where did the inspiration for it come from?
I began writing The Russian Quarter four years ago. I was living in the...
When did you begin writing Seferberlik and where did the inspiration for it come from?
I began writing Seferberlik at the end of 2017. I wrote continuously, without a break,...
When did you begin writing The Spartan Court and where did the inspiration for it come from?
I dedicated the whole of 2016 to researching the subject of the novel and...
When did you begin writing The Last Days of the Pasha and where did the inspiration for it come from?
I began writing it roughly in the middle of 2018. I was inspired to...
Longlist, judges and dates announced for 2020 International Prize for Arabic Fiction
The longlist comprises books from Algeria, Egypt, Iraq, Lebanon, Libya, Morocco, Saudi...
The International Prize for Arabic Fiction (IPAF) is the most prestigious and important literary prize in the Arab world. The annual prize is given to a novel in Arabic which...
The International Prize for Arabic Fiction (IPAF) has organised its second bilingual author tour of America with 2018 shortlisted Iraqi author Shahad Al Rawi and her...
The 2019 IPAF shortlisted authors, including the winner Hoda Barakat, took part in a number of events at the Abu Dhabi Book Fair after the winner announcement last Tuesday....
The IPAF board of trustees has issued a statement following the announcement of the 2019 winner:
Since the award of the 2019 International Prize for Arabic Fiction in April,...
How did you feel when you found out that you won?
I was overjoyed!
I was very happy because I believe that any recognition from the Arab world is equivalent to ten awards...
Lebanese author Hoda Barakat’s sixth novel The Night Mail, which was published by Dar al-Adab, was announced on Tuesday night as the 12th winner of the International Prize...
The Night Mail by Hoda Barakat was tonight, Tuesday 23 April 2019, announced as the winner of the 12th International Prize for Arabic Fiction (IPAF).
The novel, published by...
Where were you when the shortlist was announced and what was your reaction?
I was at home in Petersburg, Russia – I live with my family between Amman and Petersburg. At the...
The International Prize for Arabic Fiction is delighted to announce that submissions are open for the 13th edition of the prize, which will be awarded in 2020.
Eligible...
Where were you when the shortlist was announced and what was your reaction?
I was at home, alone, in Tanta. It was six pm, and I was watching the press conference. My novel...
Where were you when the shortlist was announced and what was your reaction?
I was in my house in Paris and I heard the news from my publisher Rana Idriss (Dar al-Adab). I was...
Where were you when the shortlist was announced and what was your reaction?
I was on the road between Rabat and Casablanca when I received the news that my novel had reached...
Tuesday 5 February, 2019: Hoda Barakat, Adel Esmat, Inaam Kachachi, Mohammed Al-Maazuz, Shahla Ujayli and Kafa Al-Zou’bi have today been announced as the six authors...
When did you begin writing May — The Nights of Isis Copia and where did the inspiration for it come from?
I started thinking about it before 2016 when I found a strange...
When did you begin writing The Commandments and where did the inspiration for it come from?
I began writing the novel in 2015 and revised the last draft in Autumn 2017, and...
The shortlist for the International Prize for Arabic Fiction 2019 will be announced between 2.30-3.00pm GMT/ 6.30-7.00pm GST on Tuesday 5 February 2019.
Comprising six novels...
When did you begin writing Black Foam and where did the inspiration for it come from?
I remember that I started really writing Black Foam in June 2015, but before that, as...
When did you begin writing Summer with the Enemy and where did the inspiration for it come from?
I began writing at the end of 2016 after a research trip to Germany, when I...
When did you begin writing Western Mediterranean and where did the inspiration for it come from?
I do not often note the exact dates of when I begin or finish writing. But...
When did you start writing Me and Haim and where did the inspiration for it come from?
I think it was after 18 months that I felt comfortable with a final draft, in terms of...
When did you begin writing The Outcast and where did the inspiration for it come from?
I began it after it had fully fermented in my mind. This is how I usually go about...
This week, a group of eight emerging Arab authors gathered in Sharjah to take part in the International Prize for Arabic Fiction’s annual Nadwa. The workshop, which ran from...
The International Prize for Arabic Fiction (IPAF) has today, Monday 7th January 2019, revealed the longlist of 16 novels in contention for the 2019 prize. The novels selected...
The International Prize for Arabic Fiction (IPAF) is the most prestigious and important literary prize in the Arab world. The annual prize is given to a novel in Arabic which...
The International Prize for Arabic Fiction (IPAF) organised its first bilingual author tour of America with 2013 Kuwaiti winner Saud Alsanousi and his translator Jonathan...
The International Prize for Arabic Fiction winner, Frankenstein in Baghdad by Ahmed Saadawi, is one of the six shortlisted novels still in the running for the 2018 Man Booker...
The authors shortlisted for the International Prize for Arabic Fiction and Ibrahim Nasrallah, winner of the 2018 prize for The War of the Second Dog, took part in two events...
In the days preceding the winner announcement you participated in a few events with the other shortlisted authors in Abu Dhabi. How did you find that experience?
It was an...
Jordanian-Palestinian author Ibrahim Nasrallah was announced on Tuesday night as the eleventh winner of the International Prize for Arabic Fiction for his novel The Second...
The Second War of the Dog by Ibrahim Nasrallah was tonight, Tuesday 24 April 2018, announced as the winner of the 11th International Prize for Arabic Fiction (IPAF).
The...
Where were you when the shortlist was announced and what was your reaction?
I was at home with my son. He woke up early that day even though it was a school holiday, to...
Where were you when the shortlist was announced and what was your reaction to the news?
I was at work. I was too busy to get a chance to express my joy by ululating, but of...
Where were you when the shortlist was announced and what was your reaction to the news?
I was getting ready to enter the medical center where I had a shift. I checked...
To celebrate the six authors and novels that have been shortlisted for the 2018 International Prize for Arabic Fiction, there is a series of events being hosted in Abu Dhabi...
When did you begin writing Baghdad Clock and where did the inspiration for it come from?
I don’t remember when the novel began to take shape in my mind and when it became...
2014 International Prize for Arabic Fiction winner, Frankenstein in Baghdad by Ahmed Saadawi, is one of the six novels still in the running for the 2018 Man Booker...
Where were you when the shortlist was announced and what was your reaction to the news?
I was in Amman. I was definitely happy the novel was shortlisted.
You were shortlisted...
The International Prize for Arabic Fiction is delighted to announce that submissions are open for the 12th edition of the prize, which will be awarded in 2019.
Eligible...
Jonathan Wright’s translation of 2014 International Prize for Arabic Fiction winner – Frankenstein in Baghdad by Ahmed Saadawi – is one of 13 books to make this year’s Man...
Amir Tag Elsir, Aziz Mohammed, Ibrahim Nasrallah, Shahad Al Rawi, Walid Shurafa and Dima Wannous have today (Wednesday 21 February), been announced as the six authors...
When did you begin writing Al-Najdi and where did the inspiration for it come from?
I began writing the novel in the middle of 2015 after I had prepared for it for about a...
When did you begin writing The War of the Second Dog and where did the inspiration for it come from?
The idea had been in my mind for seven years and, as I usually do, I had...
Shortlist announcement: Wednesday 21 February 2018
The shortlist for the International Prize for Arabic Fiction 2018 will be revealed on Wednesday 21 February 2018 at the...
When did you begin writing Ali, the Story of an Honourable Man and where did the inspiration for it come from?
I began writing it at the beginning of 2013. I had read in the...
When did you begin writing Leg Over Leg and where did the inspiration for it come from?
The idea for Leg Over Leg had occupied me for five years before I started writing it....
When did you begin writing Huddud's House and where did the inspiration for it come from?
I started working on it in 2012. I don’t believe there is inspiration for writing...
When did you begin The Earthen Fortress and where were you when you finished it?
The idea of The Earthen Fortress had been in my mind for nearly twenty years. That is when I...
When did you begin writing Heir of the Tombstones and where did the inspiration for it come from?
I started writing the novel in September 2013, and the inspiration for it...
When did you begin writing The Last Country and where did the inspiration for it come from?
I started writing it in the summer of 2015.
Like all my novels, the inspiration...
When did you begin writing Here is the Rose and where did the inspiration for it come from?
I began writing this novel in 2012. The source of inspiration is the character of...
When did you begin writing Passion and where did the inspiration for it come from?
I began writing [Passion] two years ago. The inspiration for it came when I read the...
When did you begin writing The Frightened Ones and where did the inspiration for it come from?
I haven’t stopped writing since I left Syria at the end of Summer 2011, but the...
When did you begin writing Christina and where did the inspiration for it come from?
I began writing Christina in the summer of 2014, immediately after the Israeli attack on...
When did you begin writing Flowers in Flames and where did the inspiration for it come from?
I started writing it in late 2015, but I left it and became immersed in writing...
When did you begin writing The Critical Case of “K” and where did the inspiration for it come from?
I cannot say that the novel started out with a prior plan or intention. I...
The International Prize for Arabic Fiction (IPAF) has today, Wednesday 17 January 2018, revealed the longlist of 16 novels in contention for the 2018 Prize. The novels...
The International Prize for Arabic Fiction (IPAF) is the most prestigious and important literary prize in the Arab world. It is given to a novel in Arabic which the judges...
Today, a group of six emerging Arab authors gathered in Abu Dhabi to take part in the annual Nadwa, organised by the International Prize for Arabic Fiction. The week-long...
Today, a group of seven emerging Arab authors gathered in Musandam, Oman to take part in the Nadwa, organised by the International Prize for Arabic Fiction. The week-long...
On Saturday evening, at the official dinner of the inaugural "North African Literature" book fair held in Oujda, Eastern Morocco, Fleur Montanaro, Administrator of the...
How has life changed for you since winning the prize four months ago?
I am more certain now that I should be a full-time writer and stop doing other things, unless they are...
Banipal, the Magazine of Modern Arabic Literature, has just published its summer issue, which is dedicated to highlighting works recently longlisted for the International...
Pioneering translator of Arabic literature Denys Johnson-Davies, and friend of the International Prize for Arabic Fiction, died in Egypt on May 22, aged 94.
Throughout his...
The 2017 International Prize for Arabic Fiction shortlisted authors, including the winner Mohammed Hasan Alwan, took part in a number of events in Abu Dhabi before and after...
In the days preceding the winner announcement you participated in a number of events with the other shortlisted authors in Abu Dhabi. How did you find that experience?
It was...
Saudi Arabian author Mohammed Hasan Alwan’s fifth novel A Small Death, which was published by Dar Al Saqi, was announced on Tuesday night as the tenth winner of the...
A Small Death by Mohammed Hasan Alwan was tonight, Tuesday 25 April 2017, announced as the winner of the 10th International Prize for Arabic Fiction (IPAF).
The novel,...
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Where were you at the shortlist announcement and what was your reaction?
My reaction to Al-Sabiliat making the shortlist was a big surprise and celebration at the same...
Where were you when the shortlist was announced and what was your reaction to the news?
I was in my office at home in Toronto doing my usual work, when messages of...
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To celebrate the six authors and novels that have been shortlisted for the 2017 International Prize for Arabic Fiction, there is a series of events being hosted in Abu...
Where were you at the time of the shortlist announcement? What was your reaction?
I was going through the recovery period following surgery. At the time of the announcement,...
Where were you at the shortlist announcement? What was your reaction?
I was in my office at the Palestinian Studies Foundation when I got a call from Algeria from Rana Idris...
Where were you at the shortlist announcement and what was your reaction?
On the day of the shortlist announcement I decided not to leave my room in Rome. I was a little...
Where were you at the shortlist announcement and what was your reaction?
I was at home, as usual. Of course, I was overjoyed.
What does it mean to you to be shortlisted?
It...
The International Prize for Arabic Fiction is delighted to announce that submissions are open for the 11th edition of the prize, which will be awarded in 2018.
Eligible...
The 2017 Emirates Airline Festival of Literature opens this Friday at the InterContinental Hotel, Dubai Festival City. The week-long festival is the Middle East’s largest...
Mohammed Hasan Alwan, Najwa Binshatwan, Ismail Fahd Ismail, Elias Khoury, Mohammed Abdel Nabi and Saad Mohammed Rahim have today, Thursday 16 February, been announced as the...
When did you begin writing The Slave Pens and where did the inspiration for it come from? Did the novel take long to write and where were you when you finished it?
I began...
When did you begin writing Index and where did the inspiration for it come from?
The first seed of the novel was an idea that occurred to me in 2006. It revolves around...
When did you begin writing Days of Dust and where did the inspiration for it come from? Did the novel take long to write and where were you when you finished it?
I don't know...
When did you begin writing A Small Death and where did the inspiration for it come from? Did the novel take long to write and where were you when you finished it?
I began...
When did you begin writing Al-Sabiliat and where did the inspiration for it come from?
I began writing in Autumn 1989, but became busy with other things and stopped. Two...
When did you begin writing Paolo and where did the inspiration for it come from?
I began Paolo within a year of finishing The Crocodiles (2012). Although each is a separate...
When did you begin writing The North Africans and where did the inspiration for it come from?
I have always been preoccupied with the question of what it means to be Moroccan...
When did you begin writing The Year of the Radio and where did the inspiration for it come from?
There isn't anything specific which inspires my novels. News from here and...
When did you begin writing Hot Maroc and where did the inspiration for it come from?
I began writing Hot Maroc at a writers' residency on the Cote D'Azur in March 2011. At...
When did you begin writing In the Spider's Room and where did the inspiration for it come from?
It must have been the end of 2012 when I first began to think about the...
When did you begin writing Swastika and where did the inspiration for it come from?
I started to write the first chapter at the end of 2011, in preparation for taking part in...
When did you begin writing The Witches' Resort and where did the inspiration for it come from?
I began writing it in 2015. It is well known that I write a novel every year...
When did you begin writing One Room Is Enough and where did the inspiration for it come from?
The idea for One Room Is Enough had been with me for more than a year before I...
When did you begin writing The Bookseller's Murder and where did the inspiration for it come from?
I began writing The Bookseller's Murder in 2014-15. I'd been reflecting on...
When did you begin writing The Slaughter of the Philosophers and where did the inspiration for it come from?
I began writing it in the middle of 2015, although the idea had...
The International Prize for Arabic Fiction (IPAF) has today, Monday 16 January 2017, revealed the longlist of 16 novels in contention for the 2017 prize. The novels selected...
The International Prize for Arabic Fiction (IPAF) is the most prestigious and important literary prize in the Arab world and is celebrating its 10th anniversary in 2017. It...
From 2017, the system by which publishers submit books for the International Prize for Arabic Fiction (IPAF) is going to change. IPAF’s board of Trustees have decided to...
An independent American publishing house has published an English version of Jana Elhassan’s The Ninety-Ninth Floor, which was shortlisted for the International Prize for...
Writers’ workshop led by leading Arab writers Mohammed Hasan Alwan and Hammour Ziada
A group of six emerging Arab authors gathered this week in Abu Dhabi to take part in the...
Arabists from across Europe will be gathering in Oslo next week for the 12th annual meeting of the European Association for Modern Arabic Literature (EURAMAL). Starting on...
By Robbert A.F.L. Woltering, Assistant professor Arabic studies and Director ACMES, University of Amsterdam
Whilst this year’s IPAF award ceremony took place in Abu Dhabi on...
In the days preceding the announcement, you took part in a number of events in Abu Dhabi alongside the shortlisted authors. How did you find that experience?
I really enjoyed...
Destinies: Concerto of the Holocaust and the Nakba by Rabai al-Madhoun was tonight, Tuesday 26 April 2016, announced as the winner of the ninth International Prize for Arabic...
The six authors shortlisted for the 2016 International Prize for Arabic Fiction will take part in a series of events in Abu Dhabi in the coming week.
Prior to the winner...
Where were you at the shortlist announcement and what was your reaction to the news?
The day of the shortlist announcement I was in Tahanaout city on the outskirts of...
Where were you at the shortlist announcement and what was your reaction to the news?
That day I was at home getting ready to go to work. Sherif Joseph the head of Dar Tanweer...
Where were you at the shortlist announcement and what was your reaction to the news?
The night before the announcement, I stayed up late with my friends chatting about the...
Where were you at the shortlist announcement and what was your reaction to the news?
I was laying in bed on that cold rainy morning, moving between the sites of different...
The International Prize for Arabic Fiction is delighted to announce that submissions are open for the ninth edition of the prize, which will be awarded in 2017.
Under prize...
Where were you at the shortlist announcement and what was your reaction to the news?
I was at home editing a text I had written before. I was waiting for the shortlist...
The IPAF board of Trustees has recently gained three new members. Isobel Abulhoul OBE, Mohammed Rashad and Amina Hachimi Alaoui will all contribute to the overall management...
