This post is also available in: العربية

 

The International Prize for Arabic Fiction (IPAF) has revealed the longlist of 16 novels in contention for the 2023 prize, which will award $50,000 to the ultimate winner.

The longlisted authors range in age from 40 to 77 and hail from nine countries. The novels cover an extensive range of topics, including migration, exile and the refugee experience, and both fleeting and profound human relationships. Explorations of childhood are prevalent, with coming-of-age narratives revealing the ramifications of political unrest and conflict on the family and country from a child’s perspective.

The longlist has been chosen from a total of 124 submissions by a panel of five judges chaired by Moroccan writer and novelist Mohammed Achaari. Joining him on the judging panel are Egyptian academic and novelist Reem Bassiouney, Algerian novelist, researcher and journalist Fadhila El Farouk, Swedish university professor and translator Tetz Rooke, and Omani writer and academic Aziza al-Ta’I.

 

The full 2023 longlist, listed in alphabetical order by author surname, is as follows:

 

Author Title Country of origin Publisher
Ahmad Abdulatif The Ages of Daniel in the City of Threads Egypt

 

 Dar al-Ain
Fatima Abdulhamid The Highest Part of the Horizon Saudi Arabia Masciliana – UAE
Al-Sadiq Haj Ahmed Drought Algeria Dar Dwaya
Zahran Alqasmi The Exile of the Water Diviner Oman Rashm
Najwa Binshatwan Concerto Qurina Eduardo Libya Takween – Iraq
Lina Huyan Elhassan Ruler of the Two Fortresses Syria Dar al-Adab
Ahmed El-Fakharany Bar Lialina Egypt Dar al-Shorouk
Mohammed Harradi The Melody of the Rabbit Morocco Al-Mutawassit
Sausan Jamil Hasan My Name is Zayzafoune Syria Al-Rabie Publications
Aisha Ibrahim The Box of Sand Libya Al-Mutawassit
Nasser Iraq The Antikkhana Egypt Dar al-Shorouk
Azhar Jerjis The Stone of Happiness Iraq Dar Al-Rafidain – Lebanon
Rabia Raihane The Family House Morocco Dar al-Ain
Miral al-Tahawy  Days of the Shining Sun Egypt Dar al-Ain
Qassem Tawfik One Night is Enough Jordan Alaan
May Telmissany They All Say I Love You Egypt Dar al-Shorouk

 

The International Prize for Arabic Fiction is sponsored by the Abu Dhabi Arabic Language Centre, part of the Department of Culture and Tourism – Abu Dhabi, and was originally mentored by the Booker Prize Foundation in London.