News
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05/02/2019
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...
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31/01/2019
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...
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31/01/2019
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...
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30/01/2019
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...
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30/01/2019
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...
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29/01/2019
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...
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18/01/2019
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...
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07/01/2019
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...
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02/01/2019
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...
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27/11/2018
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...
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21/05/2018
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...
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14/05/2018
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...
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27/04/2018
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...
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26/04/2018
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...
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24/04/2018
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...
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23/04/2018
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...
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22/04/2018
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...
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19/04/2018
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...
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18/04/2018
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...
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16/04/2018
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...
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13/04/2018
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...
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10/04/2018
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...
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03/04/2018
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...
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12/03/2018
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...
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21/02/2018
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...
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19/02/2018
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...
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19/02/2018
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...
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15/02/2018
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...
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14/02/2018
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...
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14/02/2018
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....
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14/02/2018
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...
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14/02/2018
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...
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12/02/2018
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...
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09/02/2018
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...
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09/02/2018
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...
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08/02/2018
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...
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07/02/2018
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...
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06/02/2018
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...
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31/01/2018
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...
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29/01/2018
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...
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17/01/2018
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...
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11/01/2018
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...
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12/12/2017
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...
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21/11/2017
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...
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29/09/2017
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...
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15/09/2017
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...
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28/07/2017
Banipal, the Magazine of Modern Arabic Literature, has just published its summer issue, which is dedicated to highlighting works recently longlisted for the International...
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28/06/2017
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...
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03/05/2017
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...
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27/04/2017
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...
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26/04/2017
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...
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25/04/2017
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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23/04/2017
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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...
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20/04/2017
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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20/04/2017
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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...
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18/04/2017
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,...
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13/04/2017
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...
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10/04/2017
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...
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06/04/2017
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...
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01/04/2017
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...
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01/03/2017
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...
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16/02/2017
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...
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15/02/2017
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...
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14/02/2017
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...
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09/02/2017
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...
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09/02/2017
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...
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08/02/2017
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...
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08/02/2017
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...
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07/02/2017
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...
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03/02/2017
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...
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02/02/2017
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...
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31/01/2017
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...
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27/01/2017
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...
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26/01/2017
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...
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24/01/2017
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...
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19/01/2017
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...
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19/01/2017
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...
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16/01/2017
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...
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11/01/2017
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...
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14/12/2016
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...
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25/11/2016
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...
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23/11/2016
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...
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27/05/2016
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...
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25/05/2016
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...
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27/04/2016
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...
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26/04/2016
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...
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22/04/2016
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...
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20/04/2016
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...
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17/04/2016
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...
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12/04/2016
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...
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05/04/2016
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...
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01/04/2016
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...
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25/03/2016
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...
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