The International Prize for Arabic Fiction (IPAF) (Arabic: الجائزة العالمية للرواية العربية) is a literary prize managed in association with the Booker Prize Foundation in London, and supported by the Emirates Foundation in Abu Dhabi. The prize is specifically for prose fiction by Arabic authors, along the lines of the Man Booker Prize. Each year, the winner of the prize receives US$50,000 and the six shortlisted authors receive US$10,000 each.
The aim of the award is to recognise and reward excellence in contemporary Arabic fiction writing and to encourage wider readership of good-quality Arabic literature in the region and internationally. The prize is also designed to encourage the translation and promotion of Arabic language literature into other major world languages. An independent board of trustees, drawn from across the Arab world and beyond, is responsible for appointing six new judges each year, and for the overall management of the prize.
Rules and entry
Only novels are considered for the IPAF. Submissions are made by publishers, which can nominate up to three novels published in Arabic during the previous year. All authors must be living at the time of the award.
Ahdaf Soueif, Novelist and political and cultural commentator.Professor Marie-Thérèse Abdel-Messih, Professor of English & Comparative Literature, University of Cairo, EgyptNouri Abid, Publisher, L'Edition Med Ali, TunisiaBachar Chebaro, Publisher, Scientific Arab Publishers, LebanonDr. Peter Clark OBE, Independent Consultant and Writer, Middle East Cultural Advisory Services, UKProfessor Rasheed El-Enany, Professor of Modern Arabic Literature, University of Exeter, and Series Editor of Edinburgh Studies in Modern Arabic Literature, UKJoumana Haddad, Writer, Poet and JournalistDr Khaled Hroub, Arab academic and director of Cambridge Arab Media Project (CAMP)Assia Moussei, President and Publishing Manager of El Ikhtilef publishing house, translator and journalist, AlgeriaZaki Nusseibeh, Advisor, Ministry of Presidential Affairs – Vice-Chairman, Abu Dhabi Authority for Culture and HeritageMargaret Obank, Publisher and Editor, Banipal magazine of Modern Arab Literature, UKWilliam Sieghart, Chairman & Founder, Forward Publishing, National Poetry Day, UKProfessor Yasir Suleiman CBE, Professor of Arabic, University of Cambridge, UKEvelyn (Eve) Smith, Company Secretary of International Prize for Arabic Fiction, Company Secretary Booker Prize Foundation, UKJonathan Taylor CBE, Current Chairman of the IPAF Board of Trustees. Chairman, Booker Prize Foundation, UKWinners and nominees
= winner
The novels shortlisted for IPAF 2007–08:
Bahaa Taher, Sunset Oasis, EgyptJabbour Douaihy, June's Rain, LebanonElias Farkouh, The Land of Purgatory, JordanKhaled Khalifa, In Praise of Hatred, SyriaMay Menassa, Walking in the Dust, LebanonMekkaoui Said, Swan Song, EgyptThe shortlist was announced December 10, 2008 chosen from a total of 131 submissions from 16 Arabic countries. The winner was announced March 16, 2009.
Yusuf Zeydan, Azazel, EgyptMohammad Al Bisatie, Hunger, EgyptFawwaz Haddad, The Unfaithful Translator, SyriaInaam Kachachi, The American Granddaughter, IraqIbrahim Nasrallah, Time of White Horses, Jordan/PalestineHabib Selmi, The Scents of Marie-Claire, TunisiaEzzedine Choukri Fishere, Intensive Care Unit, EgyptAbdul-Kareem Jouaity, Platoon of Ruin, MoroccoAli al-Muqri, Black Taste, Black Odour, YemenAli Bader, The Tobacco Guard, IraqIbrahim al-Koni, The Tumour, LibyaMuhammed Abu Maatouk, The Bottle and the Genie, SyriaRenée Hayek, Prayer for the Family, LebanonBensalem Himmich, The Man from Andalucia, MoroccoYahya Yakhlif, Ma' Al Sama' , PalestineThe shortlist announced on December 16, 2009 was chosen from a total of 115 submissions from 17 Arabic countries. The winner was announced on March 2, 2010, the first day of the Abu Dhabi International Book Fair.
Abdo Khal, She Throws Sparks, Saudi ArabiaMuhammad Al Mansi Qindeel, A Cloudy Day on the West Side, EgyptMansoura Ez Eldin, Beyond Paradise, EgyptRabee Jaber, America, LebanonRabai’ Madhoun, The Lady from Tel Aviv, PalestineJamal Naji, When the Wolves Grow Old, JordanMahmoud al-Rimawy, Who Will Cheer up the Lady?, PalestineUmaima al-Khamis, The Leafy Tree, Saudi ArabiaAli Bader, Kings of the Sands, IraqMuhsin al-Ramly, Fingers Pass, IraqAbdullah Bin Bakheet, Street of Affections, Saudi ArabiaHassan Daoud, 180 Sunsets, LebanonSahar Khalifeh, Origin and Branch, PalestineSamir Qasimi, A Great Day to Die, AlgeriaAlawiya Sobh, It's Called Love, LebanonRosa Yaseen Hasan, The Guards of the Air, SyriaThe shortlist was announced December 9, 2010, chosen from a total of 123 submissions and a longlist of 16. The winners were announced on March 14, 2011, the eve of the Abu Dhabi International Book Fair. This marked the first time the award had been split, as well as the first female winner (Raja Alem).
Mohammed Achaari, The Arch and the Butterfly, Morocco (co-winner) Raja Alem, The Doves’ Necklace, Saudi Arabia (co-winner)Khaled al-Berry, Middle Eastern Dance, EgyptMiral al-Tahawy, Brooklyn Heights, EgyptAmir Taj al-Sir, The Hunter of the Chrysalises, SudanBensalem Himmich, My Tormentor, MoroccoRenée Hayek, A Short Life, LebanonFawwaz Haddad, God's Soldiers, SyriaFatin al-Murr, Common Sins, LebanonIbtisam Ibrahim Teresa, The Eye of the Sun, SyriaKhairy Shalaby, Istasia, EgyptMaha Hassan, Umbilical Cord, SyriaMaqbul Moussa al-Alawi, Turmoil in Jeddah, Saudi ArabiaRazan Naim al-Maghrabi, Women of Wind, LibyaWaciny Laredj, The Andalucian House, AlgeriaAli al-Muqri, The Handsome Jew, YemenA total of 101 submissions from 15 countries were whittled down to a longlist of 13. This list was announced in November 2011. The final shortlist of six books was revealed on January 11, 2012. The winner was announced March 27, 2012.
Rabee Jaber, The Druze of Belgrade, LebanonJabbour Douaihy, The Vagrant, LebanonEzzedine Choukri Fishere, Embrace on Brooklyn Bridge, EgyptNasr Iraq, The Unemployed, EgyptBashir Mufti, Toy of Fire, AlgeriaHabib Selmi, The Women of al-Basatin, TunisiaFadi Azzam, Sarmada, SyriaRashid al-Daif, Paving the Sea, LebanonHawra al-Nadawi, Under the Copenhagen Sky, Iraq/DenmarkSharbel Qatan, Suitcases of Memory, LebanonMohamed al-Refai, Nocturnal Creatures of Sadness, EgyptIbrahim al-Zaarur, The Amazing Journey of Khair al-Din ibn Zard, JordanYoussef Ziedan, The Nabatean, EgyptThe longlist of 16 books was announced on December 6, 2012. The shortlist of six books was announced on January 9, 2013. The winner was announced on 23 April 2013.
Saud Alsanousi, The Bamboo Stick, Kuwait, Arab Scientific PublishersSinan Antoon, Ava Maria, Iraq, Al-JamalJana Elhassan, I, She and Other Women, Lebanon, Arab Scientific PublishersMohammed Hassan Alwan, The Beaver, Saudi Arabia, Dar al-SaqiIbrahim Issa, Our Master, Egypt, Bloomsbury Qatar FoundationHussein Al-Wad, His Excellency the Minister, Tunisia, Dar al-JanubAshraf El-Ashmawi, Toya, Egypt, Al-Dar al-Masriya al-LubnaniyaHoda Barakat, The Kingdom of this Earth, Lebanon, Dar al-AdabAnwar Hamed, Jaffa Prepares Morning Coffee, Palestine, The Arabic Institute for Research and PublishingRabee Jaber, The Birds of the Holiday Inn, Lebanon, Dar al-TanwirElias Khoury, Sinalkul, Lebanon, Dar al-AdabWaciny Laredj, Lolita’s Fingers, Algeria, Dar al-AdabMohammed Abdel Nabi, The Return of the Sheikh, Egypt, RawafidIbrahim Nasrallah, Lanterns of the King of Galilee, Palestine/Jordan, Arab Scientific PublishersMuhsin al-Ramly, The President’s Gardens, Iraq, ThaqafaAmin Zaoui, The Goatherd, Algeria, Al-IkhtilefThe longlist of 16 books was announced 7 January 2014. The shortlist of 6 books was announced 10 February 2014. The winner was announced 29 April 2014.
Ahmed Saadawi, Frankenstein in Baghdad, Iraq, Al-JamalYoussef Fadel, A Rare Blue Bird that Flies with Me, Morocco, Dar al-AdabInaam Kachachi, Tashari, Iraq, Dar al-JadidKhaled Khalifa, No Knives in this City's Kitchens, Syria, Dar al-AinAbdelrahim Lahbibi, The Journeys of 'Abdi, Morocco, Africa EastAhmed Mourad, The Blue Elephant, Egypt, Dar al-ShorouqIbrahim Abdelmeguid, Clouds Over Alexandria, Egypt, Dar al-ShorouqBadryah El-Bishr, Love Stories on al-Asha Street, Saudi Arabia, Dar al-SaqiAntoine Douaihy, The Bearer of the Purple Rose, Lebanon, Arab Scientific PublishersAmir Tag Elsir, 366, Sudan, Arab Scientific PublishersIsmail Ghazali, The Season of Pike Fishing, Morocco, Dar al-AinIsmail Fahd Ismail, The Phoenix and the Faithful Friend, Kuwait, Arab Scientific PublishersAshraf al-Khamaisi, God's Land of Exile, Egypt, Al-HadaraWaciny Laredj, Ashes of the East: The Wolf who Grew Up in the Wilderness, Algeria, Al-JamalIbrahim Nasrallah, The Edge of the Abyss, Jordan/Palestine, Arab Scientific PublishersAbdel Khaliq al-Rikabi, The Sad Night of Ali Baba, Iraq, The Arab Institute for Research and PublishingThe longlist. On February 13, 2015 the shortlist was announced. The winner was announced May 6, 2015.
Shukri Mabkhout, The Italian, TunisiaJana ElHassan, Floor 99Antoine Douaihy, Drowning in Lake MorezAshraf al-Khamaisi, Sharp TurningAtef Abu Saif, A Suspended LifeMohammed Berrada, Far from Clamour, Close to SilenceLina Hawyan Elhassan, Diamonds and WomenAbdel Wahab al-Hamadi, Don't Tell Your Nightmare!Hadia Hussein, Riyam and KafaHisham al-Khashin, GraphiteHabib Abdulrab Sarori, The Daughter of SuslovMuna al-Sheemi, The Size of a GrapeHammour Ziada, The Longing of the DervishAhmed el-Madini, Willow AlleyJabbour Douaihy, The American NeighbourhoodMaha Hassan, Female VoicesThe longlist was announced on 12th January 2016. The winner was announced April 26, 2016.
Rabai al-Madhoun, Destinies: Concerto of the Holocaust and the Nakba, PalestineTaleb Alrefai, Here, KuwaitLaila al-Atrash, Hymns of Temptation, Palestine/JordanTareq Bakari, Numedia, MoroccoIbrahim Farghali, The Temple of Silken Fingers, EgyptJanan Jasim Halawi, People of the Palms, IraqMahmoud Hasan al-Jasim, Mariam's Journey, SyriaHazim Kamaledin, Desertified Waters, IraqAbdennour Mezzine, Letters of the Storm, MoroccoAhmed Muhsin, Warsaw a Little While Ago, LebanonHamed al-Nazir, The Prophecy of Saqqa, SudanMohamed Mansi Qandil, The Black Brigade, EgyptMohamed Rabie, Mercury, EgyptMahmoud Shukair, Praise for the Women of the Family, PalestineShahla Ujayli, A Sky Close to Our House, SyriaGeorge Yaraq, The Guard of the Dead, LebanonThe judges since 2008 are listed below:
Feissal DarrajGhalia QabbaniMohammed BennisMohammed BerradaPaul StarkeySamuel ShimonFakhri SalehHartmut FaehndrichMohammad al-MurrRasheed El-EnanyYoumna el EidTaleb AlrefaiRaja' Ben SalamahSaif al-RahbiFrédéric LaGrangeFadhil al-AzzawiMunira Al-FadhelIsabella Camera D'AfflittoAmjad NasserSaid YaktineGeorges TarabichiMaudie BitarHoda ElsaddaHuda al-NaimiGonzalo Fernández ParrillaGalal AminSobhi al-BoustanAli FerzatBarbara Michalak-PikulskaZahia Smail SalhiSaad A. Albazei (Chair)Ahmed AlfaitouriZhor GourramAbdullah IbrahimMehmet Hakki SuçinMourid Barghouti (Chair}Ayman A. El-DesoukyParween HabibNajim A. KadhimKaoru YamamotoThe following authors have been longlisted multiple times:
Thrice - Ibrahim Nasrallah, Jabbour Douaihy, Rabee Jaber, Waciny LaredjTwice - Ali al-Muqri, Ali Bader, Amir Tag Elsir, Antoine Douaihy, Ashraf al-Khamaisi, Bensalem Himmich, Ezzedine Choukri Fishere, Fawwaz Haddad, Habib Selmi, Inaam Kachachi, Jana ElHassan, Khaled Khalifa, Maha Hassan, Muhsin al-Ramly, Renée Hayek, Youssef Ziedan114 novels have been longlisted in the first nine years.
For details of the annual writers' workshop, see International Prize for Arabic Fiction Nadwa.
