Chair of Judges for the Arabic Booker Discusses the Shortlist

In Arabic Publishing by Olivia Snaije

By Olivia Snaije The shortlist for the International Prize for Arabic Fiction (IPAF) — better known as the Arabic Booker — was released last week; the winner — who receives $50,000 (shortlisted authors receive $10,000 — will be announced March 14, 2011 during the Abu Dhabi Book Fair. The six writers on the shortlist are from Egypt, Morocco, Sudan and …

Do Cash Awards Promote Publishing in Growth Markets?

In Discussion by Edward Nawotka

By Edward Nawotka Today’s lead story covers the ongoing Sharjah International Book Fair. This year, the Fair introduced three new book awards for English language works (discussed in the piece). In addition, the Egypt-based Dar El Shorouk won the second edition of the Etisalat Prize for Arabic Children’s Literature with the book, Al Noqta Al Sawda (The Black Dot), written …

IPAF Mentors Young Arabic Writers, Produces Anthology

In Arabic Publishing by Edward Nawotka

By Edward Nawotka Fiction writing in Arabic has suffered from neglect in international circles, with most of the attention going to poets or political manifestos. But things are starting to change and Western-style workshops are popping up around the Middle East. Over the next nine days, seven promising young Arabic writers will be taking part in a unique writers workshop …