Shortlist for International Arabic Fiction Prize 2008/2009 (Man Booker Affiliation)

December 13, 2008

by Suzan Abrams

For links, please scroll to bottom of entry.

The shortlist of the Man Booker Prize's International Arabic Award for Fiction 2008/2009, which recognizes excellence in Arabic creative writing, was announced on December 10th in London.
The vital information appears to be missing from the official website but I will refer you to Gulf News' excellent write-up recently, where if you scroll below, you will find two links.

The shortlist in no particular order are:

Mohammad Al Bisatie for Hunger,
Fawwaz Haddad for The Unfaithful Translator,
Ina'am Kachachi for The American Granddaughter,
Ebrahim Nasrallah for Time of White Horses,
Al Habib Al Salmi for The Scents of Marie Claire &
Yousuf Zaydan for Beelzebub.

Now, Kachachi is the only female entry chosen for the shortlist. Another woman writer Renee Hayek had initially made it to the longlist with her entry Prayer for the Family. Let me stress too, that there were a minimal number of entries from the womenfolk this year. The majority of works were submitted by men.

The prestigous prize will be awarded to the winner on March 16 at a prize-giving ceremony in Abu Dhabi prior to the Abu Dhabi International Book Fair.

Further Reading:

My earlier entry which featured the longlist and previous winner Baha Taher and which also offers a deeper insight into the International Prize for Arabic Fiction is over here.

Gulf News which explains the process of the recent shortlist judging in London by Middle-Eastern specialists in literature, is over here.