Sheikh Zayed Book Award 2020 Literature Longlist

The 14th Sheikh Zayed Book Award announces 13 works on the ‘Literature’ Category Longlist

The Sheikh Zayed Book Award has announced the longlist for the ‘Literature’ category of the Award’s 14th edition (2019/2020), selecting 13 works out of 438 nominations. The majority of longlisted authors hail from UAE, Iraq, Sudan, Syria, Tunisia, Palestine, Egypt and Lebanon. 

The ‘Literature’ longlist consists of 11 novels and two works of poetry.

The longlisted novels are as follows: 

• Abna wa Ahtheya (Sons and Shoes) by Muhsin Al-Ramli (Iraq/Spain), published by Dar al-Mada, 2018.

• Takecardia by Amir Taj al-Sir (Sudan), published by Hachet Antoine/Nofal, 2019.

• Al Hai Al Hai by Ali Al-Shaali (UAE), issued by Dar al-Louh, 2019.

• Khata Gher Maqsoud (An Unintended Mistake) by Rachid Al-Daif (Lebanon), published by Dar al-Saqi, 2019.

• Horob Al Rohama (Wars of Mercy) by Ibrahim Issa (Egypt), published by Al Karma Publishing in 2018.

• Al Maktabah Al Sereya wa Al General’ (The Secret Library and The General), By Khairi Al-Dhahabi (Syria), published by Al-Ahliya for Publication in 2018.

• Al-Karaki by Hassan Hamid (Palestine), issued by the Syrian General Authority for Books (Ministry of Culture - Syria) in 2019.

• Mr. Noon by Najwa Barakat (Lebanon), published by Dar Al Adab for Publishing and Distribution in 2019

The following three novels were all published in 2018 by Mamdouh Adwan Publishing and Distribution House in cooperation with Sard for Publishing: 

• Hay Al Dahsha (The Neighborhood of Astonishment), by Maha Hassan (Syria/France). 

• Ma’wa Al Gheyab (Shelter of Absence), by Mansoura Ez-Eldin (Egypt).

• Arwah Sakhrat Al Asal (Souls of Honey Rocks), by Mamdouh Azzam (Syria).

The two poetic works are:

• Belkas ma Qabl Al Akheera (The Penultimate Cup), by Moncef Al-Wahaybi (Tunisia), issued by Meskeliani Publishing and Distribution in 2019. 

• Althe’b wa ma Akhfa (Taleh Rashaeya: Al Ghazalah wa Al Zelzal) (The Wolf and What It Hid) followed by (Rasha’yat: The Gazelle and the Earthquake) by Youssef Razuka (Tunisia), published by Zainab Publishing House in 2017.

A total of 1,900 nominations from 49 countries (22 Arab and 27 foreign countries) were submitted for this 14th edition of the Sheikh Zayed Book Award across its nine categories.

The two categories with the highest number of nominations were ‘Young Author’ (498 nominations) followed by ‘Literature’ (438).

Dateline: Abu Dhabi, 289 December 2019