The Banipal Prize, whose full name is the Saif Ghobash–Banipal Prize for Arabic Literary Translation, is an annual prize awarded to a translator (or translators) for the published English

translation Translation is the communication of the meaning of a source-language text by means of an equivalent target-language text. The English language draws a terminological distinction (which does not exist in every language) between ''transla ...

of a full-length literary work in the

Arabic language Arabic (, ' ; , ' or ) is a Semitic language spoken primarily across the Arab world.Semitic languages: an international handbook / edited by Stefan Weninger; in collaboration with Geoffrey Khan, Michael P. Streck, Janet C. E.Watson; Walte ...

. The prize was inaugurated in 2006 by the literary magazine ''

Banipal ''Banipal'' is an independent literary magazine dedicated to the promotion of contemporary Arab literature through translations in English. It was founded in London in 1998 by Margaret Obank and Samuel Shimon. The magazine is published three ti ...

'' which promotes the diffusion of contemporary

Arabic literature Arabic literature ( ar, الأدب العربي / ALA-LC: ''al-Adab al-‘Arabī'') is the writing, both as prose and poetry, produced by writers in the Arabic language. The Arabic word used for literature is '' Adab'', which is derived from ...

through English translations and the Banipal Trust for Arab Literature. It is administered by the

Society of Authors The Society of Authors (SoA) is a United Kingdom trade union for professional writers, illustrators and literary translators, founded in 1884 to protect the rights and further the interests of authors. , it represents over 12,000 members and ass ...

in the UK (which runs a number of similar literary translation prizes), and the prize money is sponsored by

Omar Saif Ghobash Omar Saif Ghobash ( ar, عمر سيف غباش; born 4 June 1971) is the Assistant Minister for Culture and Public Diplomacy in the United Arab Emirates, UAE and an author. He was appointed ambassador of the United Arab Emirates to France on 24 ...

and his family in memory of Ghobash's late father Saif Ghobash. As of 2009, the prize money amounted to £3000.

Winners and nominees

= winner

2006

Humphrey Davies Humphrey T. Davies (6 April 1947 – 12 November 2021) was a British translator of Arabic fiction, historical and classical texts. Born in Great Britain, he studied Arabic in college and graduate school. He has worked for decades in the Arab wor ...

: ''Gate of the Sun'' by

Elias Khoury Elias Khoury ( ar, إلياس خوري; born 12 July 1948) is a Lebanon, Lebanese novelist, and prominent public intellectual. Accordingly, he has published myriad novels related to literary criticism, which have been translated into several fore ...

* Hala Halim: ''Clamor of the Lake'' by Mohamed el-Bisatie *

Paul Starkey Paul Starkey is a British scholar and translator of Arabic literature. Life and career Starkey received his doctorate from Oxford University; the subject of his dissertation was the works of the Egyptian writer Tawfiq Hakim. He is emeritus pro ...

: ''Stones of Bobello'' by Edwar al-Kharrat Judges:

Moris Farhi Musa Moris Farhi MBE (5 July 1935 – 5 March 2019)Tessler, Gloria"Obituary: Musa Moris Farhi MBE" ''Jewish Chronicle'', 2 May 2019. was a Turkish author who was vice-president of International PEN from 2001 to his death in 2019. Profile Farhi ...

Maya Jaggi Maya Jaggi is a British writer, literary critic , editor and cultural journalist.Maya Jaggi profi ...

, Roger Allen

2007

* Farouk Mustafa (pen-name Farouk Abdel Wahab): ''The Lodging House'' by Khairy Shalaby *

Marilyn Booth Marilyn Louise Booth (born 24 February 1955) is an author, scholar and translator of Arabic literature. Since 2015, she has been the Khalid bin Abdullah Al Saud Professor for the Study of the Contemporary Arab World at the University of Oxford and ...

: ''Thieves in Retirement'' by

Hamdi Abu Golayyel Hamdi Abu Golayyel (Arabic: حمدي أبوجليل) is an Egyptian writer. Early life He was born in 1967/68 in a Bedouin village in the Fayoum region. His ancestors arrived from Libya in the early 19th century to settle in Fayoum. Abu Golayyel ...

* Peter Theroux: ''Saraya, The Ogre’s Daughter'' by

Emile Habiby Emile Shukri Habibi ( ar, إميل حبيبي, he, אמיל חביבי, 28 January 1922 – 2 May 1996) was a Palestinian-Israeli

Judges:

Maya Jaggi Maya Jaggi is a British writer, literary critic , editor and cultural journalist.Maya Jaggi profi ...

, Roger Allen

2008

Fady Joudah Fady Joudah is a Palestinian-American poet and physician. He is the 2007 winner of the Yale Series of Younger Poets Competition for his collection of poems ''The Earth in the Attic''. Life Joudah was born in Austin, Texas in 1971 to Palestinian ...

: ''The Butterfly’s Burden'' by

Mahmoud Darwish Mahmoud Darwish ( ar, محمود درويش, Maḥmūd Darwīsh, 13 March 1941 – 9 August 2008) was a Palestinian poet and author who was regarded as the Palestinian national poet. He won numerous awards for his works. Darwish used Palestine ...

Ghassan Nasr Ghassan Nasr is an academic and translator. He obtained an MFA from the University of Arkansas. He also obtained an MA and a PhD from Indiana University. He is currently an assistant professor in the English department at DePauw University. Nasr is ...

: ''The Journals of Sarab Affan'' by

Jabra Ibrahim Jabra Jabra Ibrahim Jabra (28 August 1919 – 12 December 1994) ( ar, جبرا ابراهيم جبرا) was a Iraqi- Palestinian author, artist and intellectual born in Adana in French-occupied Cilicia to a Syriac Orthodox Christian family. His fam ...

* Nancy Roberts: ''The Man from Bashmour'' by

Salwa Bakr Salwa Bakr (born 1949) is an Egyptian critic, novelist and author. Profile of the Egyptian Writer Salwa Bakr She was born in the Matariyya district in Cairo in 1949. Her father was a railway worker. She studied business at Ain Shams University, ...

Judges:

Aamer Hussein Aamer Hussein (born 8 April 1955, Karachi) is a Pakistani critic Biography
Aamer Hussein official website. ...

Bill Swainson Bill(s) may refer to: Common meanings * Banknote, paper cash (especially in the United States) * Bill (law), a proposed law put before a legislature * Invoice, commercial document issued by a seller to a buyer * Bill, a bird or animal's beak Plac ...

, Roger Allen

2009

Samah Selim Samah Selim is an Egyptian scholar and translator of Arabic literature. She studied English literature at Barnard College, and obtained her PhD from Columbia University in 1997. At present she is an associate professor at the Department of Africa ...

: ''The Collar and the Bracelet'' by

Yahya Taher Abdullah Yahya Taher Abdullah (Arabic: يحيى الطاهر عبد الله) (1942–1981) was an Egyptian writer. Biography Abdullah born in Karnak in 1942. He grew up in Upper Egypt, but moved to Cairo in 1964. One of the first to recognize his talent ...

* Michelle Hartman: ''Wild Mulberries'' by Iman Humaydan Younes *

Elliott Colla Elliott Colla is an American scholar of the Middle East, specializing in Arabic literature and culture. He is currently an associate professor in the Department of Arabic and Islamic Studies at Georgetown University. Career Colla received a B.A. ...

: ''Gold Dust'' by

Ibrahim al-Koni Ibrāhīm al-Kōnī (sometimes translated as Ibrāhīm Kūnī) ( ar, ابراهيم الكوني) is a Libyan writer and is considered to be one of the most prolific Arab novelists. Biography Born in 1948 in the Fezzan Region, Ghadamis City, ...

Judges:

Francine Stock Francine Stock is a British radio and television presenter and novelist, of part-French origin. Early life Born in Devon, and with early years in Edinburgh and Australia, Stock later attended St Catherine's School, Guildford, where she was head ...

Aamer Hussein Aamer Hussein (born 8 April 1955, Karachi) is a Pakistani critic Biography
Aamer Hussein official website. ...

, Roger Allen

2010

Source: *

: ''Yalo'' by

: ''Sunset Oasis'' by

Bahaa Taher Bahaa Taher ( ar, بهاء طاهر; 13 January 1935 – 27 October 2022), sometimes transliterated as Bahaa Tahir, Baha Taher, or Baha Tahir, was an Egyptian novelist and short story writer who wrote in Arabic. He was awarded the inaugural Inte ...

* Kareem James Abu-Zeid: ''Cities without Palms'' by Tarek Etayeb Judges: Margaret Drabble, Susan Bassnett,

Yasir Suleiman Yasir Suleiman CBE is the Sultan Qaboos Bin Said Professor of Modern Arabic Studies at the University of Cambridge. He is a Palestinian Arab living in the diaspora. Suleiman holds degrees from Amman University, the University of St Andrews, and ...

2011

Source: *

Khaled Mattawa Khaled Mattawa (born 1964) is a Libyan poet, and a renowned Arab-American writer, he is also a leading literary translator, focusing on translating Arabic poetry into English. He works as an Assistant professor of creative writing at the Univers ...

: ''Selected Poems'' by

Adonis In Greek mythology, Adonis, ; derived from the Canaanite word ''ʼadōn'', meaning "lord". R. S. P. Beekes, ''Etymological Dictionary of Greek'', Brill, 2009, p. 23. was the mortal lover of the goddess Aphrodite. One day, Adonis was gored by ...

* Barbara Romaine: ''Spectres'' by Radwa Ashour * Maia Tabet: ''White Masks'' by

Judges:

Sarah Churchwell Sarah Bartlett Churchwell (born May 27, 1970) is a professor of American Literature and Public Understanding of the Humanities at the School of Advanced Study, University of London, UK. Her expertise is in 20th- and 21st-century American literature ...

Joan Smith Joan Alison Smith (born 27 August 1953) is an English journalist, novelist, and human rights activist, who is a former chair of the Writers in Prison committee in the English section of International PEN and was the Executive Director of Ha ...

, Christina Phillips, Samuel Shimon

2012

Source: * Roger Allen: ''A Muslim Suicide'' by Bensalem Himmich *

: ''I Was Born There, I Was Born Here'' by

Mourid Barghouti Mourid Barghouti ( ar, مريد البرغوثي, ; 8 July 1944 – 14 February 2021) was a Palestinian poet and writer. Biography Barghouti was born in Deir Ghassana, near Ramallah, on the West Bank, in 8 July 1944. He studied English litera ...

Judges:

Ruth Padel Ruth Sophia Padel FRSL FZS is a British poet, novelist and non-fiction author, known for her poetic explorations of migration, both animal and human, and her involvement with classical music, wildlife conservation and Greece, ancient and modern. ...

Esther Freud Esther Freud (born 2 May 1963) is a British novelist. Early life and training Born in London, Freud is the daughter of Bernardine Coverley and painter Lucian Freud. She is also a great-granddaughter of Sigmund Freud and niece of Clement Freud. ...

, Fadhil al-Azzawi, John Peate

2013

Source: * Jonathan Wright: ''Azazeel'' by

Youssef Ziedan Youssef Ziedan ( ar, يوسف زيدان) (born June 30, 1958) is an Egyptian writer and scholar who specializes in Arabic and Islamic studies. He is a public lecturer, columnist, and prolific author of more than 50 books. He is also director ...

* William Maynard Hutchins: ''A Land Without Jasmine'' by

Wajdi al-Ahdal Wajdi al-Ahdal (Arabic::ar: وجدي الأهلي , وجدي الأهلي) (born 1973) is a Yemeni novelist, short story writer and playwright. Laureate of the International Prize for Arabic Fiction (IPAF) in 2008, is known for his Contemporary ...

Judges:

, Hassan Abdulrazzak,

Rajeev Balasubramanyam Rajeev Balasubramanyam (born 1974) is a British writer. His novels include, ''In Beautiful Disguises'' (Bloomsbury, 2000), ''The Dreamer'' (HarperCollins, 2010), ''Starstruck'' (ThePigeonhole.com, 2016) and ''Professor Chandra Follows His Bliss'' ...

, Meike Ziervogel

2014

Source: *

Sinan Antoon Sinan Antoon ( ar, سنان أنطون), is an Iraqi poet, novelist, scholar, and literary translator. He has been described as "one of the most acclaimed authors of the Arab world." He is an associate professor at the Gallatin School of Individ ...

: ''The Corpse Washer'' by

Paula Haydar Paula Haydar (born 1965) is an American academic and translator. She has a PhD in Comparative literature and an MFA in Literary translation. She won an Arkansas Arabic Translation Prize for her translation of Elias Khoury's ''The Kingdom of S ...

: ''June Rain'' by

Jabbour Douaihy Jabbour Douaihy (; 1949 – 23 June 2021) was a critically-acclaimed Lebanese writer, translator, and professor of literature. His novels were nominated four times for the International Prize for Arabic Fiction, and he has also published transl ...

Longlist * ''The Mehlis Report'' by

Rabee Jaber Rabee Jaber ( ar, ربيع جابر; born 1972) is a Lebanese novelist and journalist, born in Beirut, Lebanon. Life Jaber studied Physics at the American University of Beirut (AUB). He is also editor of ''Afaaq'' (in Arabic آفاق meaning ...

, trans. Kareem James Abu-Zeid (New Directions) * ''The Arch and the Butterfly'' by

Mohammed Achaari Mohammed Achaari ( ar, محمد الأشعري; born 1951) is a Moroccan writer and politician. Early life He was born in Moulay Idriss, Moulay Driss Zerhoun. He studied law at the Mohammed V University and graduated in 1976. He published a col ...

, trans. Aida Bamia (Bloomsbury Qatar Foundation Publishing) * ''Private Pleasures'' by Hamdy El-Gazzar, trans.

(AUC Press) * ''Ben Barka Lane'' by

Mahmoud Saeed Mahmoud Saeed (born 1939) is an Iraqi-born American novelist. Born in Mosul, Saeed has written more than twenty novels and short story collections, and hundreds of articles. He started writing short stories at an early age. He wrote an award-w ...

, trans. Kay Heikkinen (Interlink Publishing Co.) * ''Other Lives'' by Iman Humaydan, trans. Michelle Hartman (Interlink Books) * ''Throwing Sparks'' by

Abdo Khal Abdo Khal (born 3, August 1962, Al-Mijannah, Jizan, Saudi Arabia) is an Arab writer and winner of the 2010 International Prize for Arabic Fiction. Biography He left his home village at a young age and currently lives in Jeddah. Before becomin ...

, trans. Maia Tabet and Michael K. Scott (Bloomsbury Qatar Foundation Publishing) * ''That Smell'' by

Sonallah Ibrahim Son'allah Ibrahim ( ar, صنع الله إبراهيم ''Ṣunʻ Allāh Ibrāhīm'') (born 1937) is an Egyptian novelist and short story writer and one of the " Sixties Generation" who is known for his leftist and nationalist views which are exp ...

, trans.

Robyn Creswell Robyn Creswell is an American critic, scholar and translator. Life He graduated from Brown University in 1999 and gained a doctorate in comparative literature from New York University in 2011. In addition to teaching comparative literature at ...

(New Directions) * ''House of the Wolf'' by

Ezzat El Kamhawi Ezzat El Kamhawi ( ar, عزت القمحاوي) is an Egyptian novelist and journalist. In December 2012, El Kamhawi was awarded the Naguib Mahfouz Medal for Literature for his novel ''House of the Wolf (Novel), House of the Wolf''. In June 2022 ...

, trans. Nancy Roberts (AUC Press) * ''New Waw'' by

, trans. William M. Hutchins (University of Texas Press) * ''Moon and Henna Tree'' by Ahmed Toufiq, trans. Roger Allen (University of Texas Press) * ''The Bridges of Constantine'' by Ahlem Mosteghanemi, trans. Raphael Cohen (translator) (Bloomsbury) * ''Earth Weeps, Saturn Laughs'' by Abdulaziz al Farsi, trans. Nancy Roberts (AUC Press) * ''Gertrude'' by

Hassan Najmi Hassan Najmi (born on March 7, 1960) is a Moroccan poet. Born in Ben Ahmed. His first book of poems ''Lavenders’ Princedom'' came out in 1982. Although his early work shows the influence of poets such as Ahmed Mejjati, Mohammed Serghini and ...

, trans. Roger Allen (Interlink Books) * ''Status Emo'' by Eslam Mosbah, trans. Raphael Cohen (translator) (AUC Press) * ''The Silence and the Roar'' by Nihad Sirees, trans.

Max Weiss Miksa (Max) Weisz (21 July 1857 – 14 March 1927) was an Austrian chess player born in the Kingdom of Hungary. Weiss was born in Sereď. Moving to Vienna, he studied mathematics and physics at the university, and later taught those subjects. We ...

(Pushkin Press) Judges: Paul Blezard-Gymer,

Lulu Norman Lulu may refer to: Companies * LuLu, an early automobile manufacturer * Lulu.com, an online e-books and print self-publishing platform, distributor, and retailer * Lulu Hypermarket, a retail chain in Asia * Lululemon Athletica or simply Lulu, a ...

, Samuel Shimon, Jonathan Wright

2015

Source: *

for ''The Book of the Sultan's Seal: Strange Incidents from History in the City of Mars'' by Youssef Rakha * ''Land of No Rain'' by Amjad Nasser, trans. Jonathan Wright Longlist * ''Stealth'' by

, trans. Hosam Aboul-Ela (New Directions, USA) * ''The Penguin's Song'' by

Hassan Daoud Hassan Daoud (Arabic: حسن داوود) (born 1950) is a Lebanese writer and journalist. Originally from the village of Noumairieh in southern Lebanon, he moved to Beirut as a child with his family. He studied Arabic literature at university. D ...

, trans.

(City Lights Publishers, USA) * ''African Titanics'' by

Abu Bakr Khaal Abu Bakr Hamid Khaal is an Eritrean writer. He is best known for his 2008 novel ''African Titanics'' which was translated into English by Charis Bredin. He has written a couple of other books, e.g. ''The Scent of Arms'' and ''Barkantiyya: Land of ...

, trans. Charis Bredin (Darf Publishers, UK) * ''Butterfly Wings'' by Mohamed Salmawy, trans. Raphael Cohen (The American University in Cairo Press, Egypt/USA) * ''Fullblood Arabian'' by Osama Alomar, trans. C.J. Collins (New Directions, USA) * ''The Broken Mirrors: Sinalcol'' by

, trans.

(Maclehose Press, UK) * '' Diary of a Jewish Muslim'' by

Kamal Ruhayyim Kamal Ruhayyim (Arabic: كمال رحيم) (born 1947) is an Egyptian writer. He obtained a doctorate in law from Cairo University, before pursuing a career in law enforcement (police and Interpol). As an author, he is best known for the Galal tril ...

, trans.

Sarah Enany Sarah Enany ( ar, ساره عناني) is a literary translator. She has a PhD in drama and teaches at Cairo University. She has translated works by Yusuf Idris, Mohamed Salmawy and Ahmed Aboul Gheit, but she is best known for her translation of ...

(The AUC Press, Egypt/USA) * ''Who's Afraid of Meryl Streep'' by Rashid Al-Daif, trans.

and Nadine Sinno (Centre for Middle Eastern Studies, University of Texas at Austin, USA) * ''French Perfume'' by Amir Tag Elsir, trans. William M. Hutchins (Antibookclub, USA) * ''Nothing More to Lose'' by Najwan Darwish, poetry trans. Kareem James Abu-Zeid (NY Books, USA) * ''The Iraqi Nights'' by Dunya Mikhail, poetry trans. Kareem James Abu-Zeid (New Directions, USA) * ''The Woman from Tantoura'' by Radwa Ashour, trans. Kay Heikkinen (The AUC Press, Egypt/USA) * ''Dates on my Fingers'' by Muhshin al-Ramli, trans. Luke Leafgren (The AUC Press, Egypt/USA) * ''Oh, Salaam!'' by Najwa Barakat, trans. Luke Leafgren (Interlink, USA) * ''Where Pigeons Don't Fly'' by

Yousef Al-Mohaimeed Yousef Al-Mohaimeed, ( ar, يوسف المحيميد; born January 31, 1964, in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia) is a Saudi Arabian writer and journalist who has published several novels and short story collections in Arabic, and has been translated into E ...

, trans. Robin Moger (Bloomsbury Qatar Foundation Publishing) * ''Women of Karantina'' by Nael Eltoukhy, trans. Robin Moger (The AUC Press, Egypt/USA) * ''The Crocodiles'' by Youssef Rakha, trans. Robin Moger (Seven Stories Press, USA) * ''Days of Ignorance'' by Laila Aljohani, trans. Nancy Roberts (Bloomsbury, UK/USA) * ''Chaos of the Senses'' by Ahlem Mosteghanemi, trans. Nancy Roberts (Bloomsbury) * ''The Lanterns of the King of Galilee'' by

Ibrahim Nasrallah Ibrahim Nasrallah ( ar, إبراهيم نصر الله; 2 December 1954), the winner of the Arabic Booker Prize (2018), was born in 1954 to Palestinian parents who were evicted from their land in Al-Burayj, Palestine in 1948. He spent his child ...

, trans. Nancy Roberts (The AUC Press, Egypt/USA) * ''Blue Lorries'' by Radwa Ashour, trans. Barbara Romaine (Bloomsbury Qatar Foundation Publishing) * ''Beirut, Beirut'' by

, trans. Chip Rossetti (Bloomsbury Qatar Foundation Publishing) * ''The Book of the Sultan's Seal'' by Youssef Rakha, trans.

(Interlink, USA) * ''Monarch of the Square: an Anthology of Mohamed Zafzaf's Short Stories'' by Mohamed Zafzaf, trans. Mbarek Sryfi and Roger Allen (Syracuse University Press, USA) * ''The Chronicles of Majnun Layla and Selected Poems'' by

Qassim Haddad Qassim Haddad (born 1948) is a Bahraini poet, particularly notable within the Arab world for his free verse poetry. His poems have been translated in several languages including German, English and French. Biography Qassim Haddad was born in Bah ...

, poetry trans. John Verlenden and Ferial Ghazoul (Syracuse University Press, USA) * ''Rain Over Baghdad'' by Hala el Badry, trans. Farouk Abdel Wahab (The AUC Press, Egypt/USA) * ''Land Of No Rain'' by Amjad Nasser, trans. Jonathan Wright (Bloomsbury Qatar Foundation Publishing) * ''Temple Bar'' by Bahaa Abdelmegid, trans''.'' Jonathan Wright (The AUC Press, Egypt/USA) * ''Chewing Gum'' by

Mansour Bushnaf Mansour Bushnaf ( ar, منصور بوشناف) (born October 22, 1954) is a Libyan writer. He began his literary career as a playwright and essayist, before writing his debut novel '' Chewing Gum (novel)'' which was banned in 2008 in Libya Bushnaf ...

, trans.

Mona Zaki Mona Ali Mohamed Zaki ( ar, منى علي محمد زكي; born 18 November 1976) is an Egyptian actress. Biography Mona Zaki was born to her parents Ali Mohamed Zaki and Tahani on November 18, 1976. Until the age of 13, she lived in Kuwait. ...

(Darf Publishers, UK) Judges: Robin Ostle, Samira Kawar, Alastair Niven, Susannah Tarbush.

2016

Source: * Jonathan Wright for his translation of the novel ''The Bamboo Stalk'' by Saud Alsanousi Longlist * ''Confessions'' by

, trans. Kareem James Abu-Zeid (New Directions, USA) * ''The Bride of Amman'' by Fadi Zaghmout, trans. Ruth Ahmedzai Kemp (Signal 8 Press, Hong Kong) * ''Desert Sorrows'' by Tayseer al-Sboul, trans. Nesreen Akhtarkhavari and Anthony A Lee (Michigan State University Press, USA) * ''My Torturess'' by Bensalem Himmich, trans. Roger Allen (Syracuse University Press, USA) * ''Hurma'' by

Ali al-Muqri Ali al-Muqri (Arabic: علي المقري) (born in Taiz) is a Yemeni novelist and writer. Two of hisnovels - ''Black Taste, Black Odour'' and ''The Handsome Jew'' - have been long-listed for the Arab Booker Prize. He has also been awarded the F ...

, trans. T M Aplin (Darf Publishers, UK) * '' Ebola '76'' by Amir Tag Elsir, trans. Charis Bredin and Emily Danby (Darf Publishers, UK) * ''32'' by

Sahar Mandour Sahar Mandour (born 1977) is a Lebanese-Egyptian novelist. Life Sahar Mandour was born in Beirut to a Lebanese mother and Egyptian father. She studied psychology at Saint Joseph University in Beirut, before becoming a journalist. Mandour's nov ...

, trans.

Nicole Fares Nicole Fares is a Lebanese academic and translator. She obtained a bachelor's degree in translation and interpretation from AUST in Beirut. She then obtained an M.F.A in literary translation and a Ph.D. in comparative literature and cultural s ...

(Syracuse University Press, USA) * ''The Automobile Club of Egypt'' by

Alaa Al Aswany Alaa Al Aswany ( ar, علاء الأسواني, ; born 26 May 1957) is an Egyptian writer, novelist, and a founding member of the political movement Kefaya. Early life and career Al Aswany was born on 26 May 1957 in Cairo. His mother, Zaina ...

, trans. Russell Harris (Canongate, UK) * ''Ali and his Russian Mother'' by Alexandra Chreiteh, trans. Michelle Hartman (Interlink Publishing, USA) * ''Telepathy'' by Amir Tag Elsir, trans. William M Hutchins (Bloomsbury Qatar Foundation Publishing, Qatar) * ''The Scarecrow'' by

, trans. William M Hutchins (CMES, University of Texas at Austin, USA) * ''A Portal in Space'' by

, trans. William M Hutchins (CMES, University of Texas at Austin, USA) * ''All Faces but Mine'' by

Samih al-Qasim Samīħ al-Qāsim al Kaissy ( ar, سميح القاسم; he, סמיח אל קאסם; 1939 – August 19, 2014) was a Palestinian Druze poet with Israeli citizenship whose work is well known throughout the Arab world. He was born in Transjordan ...

, trans. Abdulwahid Lu‘lu‘a (Syracuse University Press, USA) * ''Mortal Designs'' by

Reem Bassiouney Reem Bassiouney ( arz, ريم بسيونى ' ; March 6, 1973) is an Egyptian author, professor of sociolinguistics and Chair Department of Applied Linguistics at The American University in Cairo. In Addition, Bassiouney is the editor of th ...

, trans. Melanie Magidow (AUC Press, Egypt/USA) * ''The Dust of Promises'' by Ahlem Mostaghanemi, trans. Nancy Roberts (Bloomsbury Publishing, UK) * ''Whitefly'' by Abdelilah Hamdouchi, trans. Jonathan Smolin (Hoopoe Fiction, Egypt/USA) * ''The Holy Sail'' by Abdulaziz al-Mahmoud, trans. Karim Traboulsi (Bloomsbury Qatar Foundation Publishing, Qatar) * ''The Bamboo Stalk'' by

Saud Alsanousi Saud Alsanousi ( ar, سعود السنعوسي, born 27 May 1981) is a Kuwaiti novelist and journalist. His debut novel ''The Prisoner of Mirrors'' (2010) won the Leila Othman Prize. In 2011, his short story ''The Bonsai and the Old Man'' won a c ...

, trans. Jonathan Wright (Bloomsbury Qatar Foundation Publishing, Qatar) * ''The Televangelist'' by Ibrahim Essa, trans. Jonathan Wright (Hoopoe Fiction, Egypt/USA) Judges:

, Lucy Popescu, Zahia Smail Salhi, Bill Swainson,

2017

Source: * Robin Moger for ''The Book of Safety'' by

Yasser Abdel Hafez Yasser Abdel Hafez (Arabic: ياسر عبد الحفيظ), (born 1969) is an Egyptian novelist and journalist. He was born in Cairo and studied law at Ain Shams University. He has worked as a journalist for the Arabic-language literary journal Akh ...

* ''The Dove's Necklace'' by Raja Alem, trans. Katharine Halls and Adam Talib (Duckworth) * ''

No Knives in the Kitchens of This City ''No Knives in the Kitchens of This City'' () is a novel by the Syrian novelist Khaled Khalifa. The novel was first published in 2013 by Al Ain publishing house in Cairo. The novel was awarded the "Najib Mahfouz Prize for Literature" in 2013, it ...

'' by

Khaled Khalifa Khaled Khalifa (born 1964) ( ar, خالد خليفة, sometimes in English written as Khalid Khalifa) is a Syrian novelist, screenwriter, and poet. He has been nominated three times for the International Prize for Arabic Fiction, including being s ...

, trans. Leri Price (Hoopoe) * ''Limbo Beirut'' by Hilal Chouman, trans. Anna Ziajka Stanton (Center for Middle Eastern Studies, Univ. Texas Press) Judges: Alastair Niven, Peter Kalu, Wen-chin Ouyang, Salam Sarhan.

2018

Source: * ''The President's Gardens'' by

Muhsin Al-Ramli Muhsin Al-Ramli ( ar, محسن الرملي, officially known as Muhisin Mutlak Rodhan; born 7 March 1967) is an expatriate Iraqi writer living in Madrid, Spain since 1995. He is a translator of several Spanish classics to Arabic. He produced the ...

, tr. Luke Leafgren (MacLehose Press/Quercus) * ''Concerto al-Quds'' by

, tr.

(Yale University Press) * ''Frankenstein in Baghdad'' by Ahmed Saadawi, tr. Jonathan Wright (Oneworld) * ''Using Life'' by Ahmed Naji, tr. Ben Koerber (CMES Publications, UT Austin)

Longlist

* ''In Jerusalem and Other Poems'' by

Tamim al-Barghouti Tamim Al-Barghouti ( ar, تميم البرغوثي) is a Palestinian-Egyptian poet, columnist and political scientist. Nicknamed the "poet of Jerusalem" (), he is one of the most widely read poets in the Arab World. Life Tamim al-Barghouti was ...

, translated by Radwa Ashour,

, Ahdaf Soueif (Interlink Books) * ''No Road to Paradise'' by

, translated by

(Hoopoe Fiction, AUC Press) * ''Divine Names'' by Luay Abdul-Ilah, translated by Judy Cumberbatch (Mira Publishing) * ''Hend and the Soldiers'' by Badriah Albeshr, translated by Sanna Dhahir (CMES Publications, Univ Texas at Austin) * The American Quarter by

, translated by Paula Haydar (Interlink Books) * The Apartment in Bab el-Louk by Donia Maher (with illustrations by Ganzeer and Ahmad Nady), translated by Elisabeth Jaquette (Darf Publishers) * Suslov's Daughter by Habib Abdulrab Sarori, translated by Elisabeth Jaquette (Darf Publishers) * Tales of Yusuf Tadrus by

Adel Esmat Adel Esmat (Arabic: عادل عصمت) is an Egyptian novelist who was born in 1959. He published a collection of short stories named ''Fragments'' and nine novels including ''Days of the Blue Windows'', published in 2009, which was awarded the ...

, translated by Mandy McClure (AUC Press) * All The Battles by Maan Abu Taleb, translated by Robin Moger (Hoopoe Fiction, AUC Press) * Embrace on Brooklyn Bridge by Ezzedine C. Fishere, translated by John Peate (AUC Press) * Gaza Weddings by

, translated by Nancy Roberts (Hoopoe Fiction, AUC Press) * Farewell, Damascus by Ghada Samman, translated by Nancy Roberts (Darf Publishers) * Bled Dry by Abdelilah Hamdouchi, translated by Benjamin Smith (Hoopoe Fiction, AUC Press) * The Blueness of the Evening: Selected Poems of Hassan Najmi by

, translated by Mbarek Sryfi and Eric Sellin (University of Arkansas Press) * Fractured Destinies by Rabai al-Madhoun, translated by

(Hoopoe Fiction, AUC Press) * The Baghdad Eucharist by

, translated by Maia Tabet (Hoopoe Fiction, AUC Press) Judges: Pete Ayrton, Georgia de Chamberet, Fadia Faqir and Sophia Vasalou.

2019

Source: * ''Death is Hard Work'' by

, translated by Leri Price (

Faber & Faber Faber and Faber Limited, usually abbreviated to Faber, is an independent publishing house in London. Published authors and poets include T. S. Eliot (an early Faber editor and director), W. H. Auden, Margaret Storey, William Golding, Samuel ...

) * '' Celestial Bodies'' by

Jokha Alharthi Jokha Alharthi ( ar, جوخة الحارثي) also spelt al-Harthi, is an Omani writer and academic, known for winning the Man Booker International Prize in 2019 for her novel published in English under the title ''Celestial Bodies''. She has wri ...

, translated by

(Sandstone Press) * ''My Name is Adam: Children of the Ghetto Volume 1'' by

, translated by Humphrey Davies (

MacLehose Press Quercus is a formerly independent publishing house, based in London, that was acquired by Hodder & Stoughton in 2014. It was founded in 2004 by Mark Smith and Wayne Davies. Quercus is known for its lists in crime (publishing such authors as El ...

) * ''Jokes for the Gunman'' by Mazen Maarouf, translated by Jonathan Wright (

Granta Books ''Granta'' is a literary magazine and publisher in the United Kingdom whose mission centres on its "belief in the power and urgency of the story, both in fiction and non-fiction, and the story’s supreme ability to describe, illuminate and m ...

) Judges: Ghazi Gheblawi (chair), Dr Jan Fortune, Abla Oudeh, Catherine Taylor.

2021

The shortlist was announced on 24 November 2021. The jury consisted of Roger Allen (Chair), Rosemarie Hudson, Ronak Hosni, and Caroline McCormick. The winner was announced on 12 January 2022. * ''Voices of the Lost'' by Hoda Barakat (Oneworld) translated by

ebanon * ''The Girl with Braided Hair'' by Rasha Adly (Hoopoe Fiction), translated by

gypt * ''A Bed for the King’s Daughter'' by Shahla Ujayli (Center for Middle Eastern Studies/University of Texas Press), translated by Sawad Hussain (Syria)\ * ''The Frightened Ones'' by Dima Wannous (Harvill Secker), translated by

Elisabeth Jaquette Elisabeth Jaquette is an American translator of contemporary Arabic literature. Her work has been shortlisted for the National Book Award and TA First Translation Prize, and supported by the Jan Michalski Foundation, the PEN/Heim Translation Fund, ...

(Syria) * ''God99'' by

Hassan Blasim Hassan Blasim (born 1973) is an Iraqi-born film director and writer. He writes in Arabic. He is a citizen of Finland. Blasim left Iraq in 2000 to escape persecution for his films, including ''The Wounded Camera'', filmed in the Kurdish area in no ...

(Comma Press), translated by Jonathan Wright

2022

The shortlist was announced on 1 December 2022. The jury consisted of Charis Olszok (chair), Susheila Nasta, Katharine Halls, and Becki Maddock. The winners were announced on 12 January 2023. * (joint winner) Mohamed Kheir, ''Slipping'' (Two Lines Press, 2018) translated by Robin Moger gypt * (joint winner)

, ''The Men Who Swallowed the Sun'' (American University in Cairo/Hoopoe Books) translated by

gypt * Yassin Adnan, ''Hot Maroc'' (Syracuse University Press) translated by Alexander E. Elinson orocco

References

{{reflist Arabic literary awards Society of Authors awards Translation awards Awards established in 2006 2006 establishments in the United Kingdom

Winners and nominees

2006

2007

2008

2009

2010

2011

2012

2013

2014

2015

2016

2017

2018

Longlist

2019

2021

2022

See also

References