ABU DHABI// The search for the best Arabic fiction writer to win Abu Dhabi’s International Prize for Arabic Fiction is under way, with the 2015 shortlist of the best six authors having been revealed yesterday in Casablanca, Morocco.
“The judges observed that the thematic concerns of the 180 nominated novels were broadly similar,” said Mourid Barghouti, Palestinian author and chairman of judges. The shortlist includes Atef Abu Saif, from Palestine, for A Suspended Life, Jana Elhassan, from Lebanon, for Floor 99, Lina Huyan Elhassan, from Syria for Diamonds and Women, Shukri al-Mabkhout, from Tunisia for The Italian, Ahmed al-Madeeni, from Morocco for Willow Alley, and Hammour Ziada, from Sudan for The Longing of the Dervish.
The novels were selected from 180 entries from 15 countries, all published in the last 12 months.
The six shortlisted finalists will each get US$10,000, with a further $50,000 going to the winner.
The winner will be announced on May 6.The award is supported by the Booker Prize Foundation.
nhanif@thenational.ae