The International Prize for Arabic Fiction (IPAF) has announced the 2023 shortlist, which presents five novels. The final laureate will win $50,000 with the commitment that IPAF will cover the cost of translating her/his novel into English to help finance its publication for an English-speaking readership.
The selection was done by a panel of five judges, chaired by Moroccan writer and novelist Mohammed Achaari along with:
- Egyptian academic and novelist Reem Bassiouney ,
- Algerian novelist, researcher and journalist Fadhila El Farouk,
- Swedish university professor and translator Tetz Rooke
- Omani writer and academic Aziza al-Ta'I.
The list of books selected from one hundred and twenty-four entries is as follows:
- "Drought" by Al-Sadiq Haj Ahmed (Algeria)
- "Concerto Qurina Eduardo" by Najwa Binshatwan (Libya)
- "The Stone of Happiness" by Azhar Jerjis (Iraq)
- "Days of the Shining Sun" by Miral al-Tahawy (Egypt)
- "The Exile of the Water Diviner" by Zahran Alqasmi (Oman).
- "The Highest Part of the Horizon" by Fatima Abdulhamid (Saudi Arabia)
This prestigious literary prize aims to reward excellence in contemporary Arab creative writing and to promote Arab literature internationally. https://arabicfiction.org/about-the-prize