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The longlist for the International Prize for Arabic Fiction (IPAF) has been revealed, featuring three writers from Palestine and three from Egypt.
The 16 novels in contention for the award, now its its ninth year, were chosen by five judges from 159 entries from 18 countries, all published within the last 12 months.
Known as "the Arabic Booker", the IPAF is the leading annual literary prize for prose fiction in Arabic. It is run with support from the Booker Prize Foundation in London and funded by the Abu Dhabi Tourism & Culture Authority (TCA Abu Dhabi) in the UAE.
The highest number of authors on the longlist come from Egypt and Palestine, accounting for three longlisted entries each. From Palestine, Mahmoud Shukair was longlisted for Praise for the Women of the Family, Rabai al-Madhoun for Destinies: Concerto of the Holocaust and the Nakba and Laila al-Atrash’s the Nakba for Hymns of Temptation. From Egypt, Ibrahim Farghali was longlisted for The Temple of Silken Fingers, Mohamed Mansi Qandil for The Black Brigade and Mohamed Rabie for Mercury.
A number of younger writers and debut novelists also appear on the longlist, with three longlisted writers under the age of 40, including debut novels by Tareq Bakari and Abdennour Mezzine.
Two longlisted authors, Rabai al-Madhoun and Mohamed Mansi Qandil, appeared on the IPAF shortlist in 2010, while Palestinian author al-Madhoun has featured previously on the shortlist for his book The Lady from Tel Aviv that won the English PEN Writers in Translation award.
The 2016 chair of judges - who will remain anonymous until the shortlist is announced on 9th February - said: "The task of choosing this year's longlist was not easy given the high quality of overall submissions, which featured many young, unknown writers in addition to well-established names. However, a strong longlist has emerged, with many of the titles dealing with their subjects in fresh and unconventional ways and using experimental language. The books look at topical concerns from the Arab world – from daily life to larger political and social issues – and, between them, condemn violence, sectarianism (political, religious and tribal) and current dictatorships.”
Professor Yasir Suleiman CBE, chair of the board of trustees, added: “This is an impressive longlist of novels that hail from different parts of the Arab world. They address abiding issues that touch different aspects of our humanity in vivid and often disturbing ways that challenge preconceived ideas. Technically mature and sometimes demanding, the longlist lives up to the IPAF tradition of enticing the readers into new worlds of the creative imagination.”
The winner of the International Prize for Arabic Fiction 2016 will be announced at an awards ceremony in Abu Dhabi on Tuesday 26th April 2016, the eve of the Abu Dhabi International Book Fair. The six shortlisted finalists will receive $10,000, with a further $50,000 going to the winner.
The winner will also be translated into English to help "increase the international reach of Arabic fiction," the prize organisers said. Last year's IPAF winner Frankenstein in Baghdad by Ahmed Saadawi secured English publication with Oneworld in the UK and Penguin Books in the US.
Shukri Mabkhout won the prize in 2015 for his depiction of unrest in Tunisian society in The Italian (Dar al-Tanweer), a book which was subsequently banned from bookshops across the Emirates.
The full IPAF longlist is:
Here, by Taleb Alrefai (Platinum Books) from Kuwait
Hymns of Temptation, by Laila al-Atrash (Difaf Publications) from Palestine/Jordan
Numedia, by Tareq Bakari (Dar al-Adab) from Morocco
The Temple of Silken Fingers, by Ibrahim Farghali (Al-Ikhtilef) from Egypt
People of the Palms, by Janan Jasim Halawi (Saqi Books) from Iraq
Mariam's Journey, by Mahmoud Hasan al-Jasim (Dar Tanweer, Egypt) from Syria
Desertified Waters, by Hazim Kamaledin (Fadaat) from Iraq
Destinies: Concerto of the Holocaust and the Nakba, by Rabai al-Madhoun (Maktabat Kul Shee) from Palestine
Letters of the Storm, by Abdennour Mezzine (Slaiki Akhawayn Publications) from Morocco
Warsaw a Little While Ago, by Ahmed Muhsin (Hachette Antoine) from Lebanon
The Prophecy of Saqqa, by Hamed al-Nazir (Dar Tanweer, Tunis) from Sudan
The Black Brigade, by Mohamed Mansi Qandil (Dar al-Shorouq) from Egypt
Mercury, by Mohamed Rabie (Dar Tanweer, Lebanon) from Egypt
Praise for the Women of the Family, by Mahmoud Shukair (Hachette Antoine) from Palestine
A Sky Close to Our House, by Shahla Ujayli (Difaf Publications) from Syria
The Guard of the Dead, by George Yaraq (Difaf Publications) from Lebanon