Sheikh Zayed Book Award Unveils Shortlists For Its 19th Edition Featuring Global Literary Works

The Sheikh Zayed Book Award (SZBA), managed by the Abu Dhabi Arabic Language Centre (ALC), has announced the shortlists for its 19th edition. This year, the categories include Literature, Children’s Literature, Translation, Contribution to the Development of Nations, Literary and Art Criticism, Arab Culture in Other Languages, and Editing of Arabic Manuscripts. The award highlights exceptional works from around the globe.

During a meeting led by Dr. Ali bin Tamim, Chairman of the ALC and Secretary-General of the SZBA, the Scientific Committee approved these shortlists. The committee included Saeed Hamdan Al Tunaiji from ALC; Juergen Boos from Germany; Dr. Nadia El Cheikh from Lebanon; and Mustafa Al-Slaiman from Jordan. New members this year are Dr. Khaled Al-Masri (Jordan/USA), Dr. Reem Bassiouney (Egypt), Dr. Moneera Al-Ghadeer (Saudi Arabia), and Dr. Mehmet Hakki Suçin (Turkiye).

The Literature category shortlist features "The Sphinx" by Ahmed Mourad from Egypt, published in 2023 by Dar El Shorouk; "Travels of the City of Clay Trilogy" by Saud Alsanousi from Kuwait, published in 2023 by Dar Kalimat Publishing & Distribution – Moulaph; and "Hind or the Most Beautiful Woman in the World" by Hoda Barakat from Lebanon/France, published in 2024 by Dar Aladab.

In Children's Literature, shortlisted works include "Maymouna and Her Crazy Ideas" by Shireen Sabanegh from Jordan, published in 2023 by Hachette Antoine/Nofal; "The Phantom of Sabiba" by Latifa Labsir from Morocco, published in 2024 by Markaz Kitab; and "The Digital Fox" by Hegra Elsawi from Egypt, published in 2024 by Dar Shan Publishing & Distribution.

The Translation category includes three works: Claudia Ott's German translation of "Tausendundeine Nacht: Das Buch der Liebe," published in 2022; Marco Di Branco's English translation of "Orosius," released in 2024; and Hassan Outtaleb's Arabic translation of Antoine Compagnon's work, published in 2023.

For Literary and Art Criticism, shortlisted titles are "Food and Language: Cultural Excavations in Arab Heritage" by Dr. Said Laouadi from Morocco, published in 2023; "Poetry and Prophecy: Abu Tayeb as the Poet-Prophet" by Dr. Rita Awad from Palestine, released in 2024; and "Urbanistic Samarra: A Study of Architecture and Planning of an Abbasid City" by Dr. Khaled Alsultany from Iraq, also published in 2024.

Contribution to Nations and Arab Culture

The Contribution to the Development of Nations category features three works: Prof. Dr. Mohammed Bechari's "The Right to Strive," released in 2024; Housamedden Darwish's "The Philosophy of Recognition and Identity Politics," published in 2023; and Prof. Dr. Majduddin Khemesh's "Cities and Trade in Arab and Islamic Civilisation," available since 2024.

In Arab Culture in Other Languages, Andrew Peacock's work on Arabic literary culture is shortlisted alongside Beatrice Gruendler's exploration of Arabic books' rise. Hakan Özkan's study on Eastern Zajal poetry completes this category’s shortlist.

Editing Manuscripts Category

The Editing of Arabic Manuscripts shortlist includes Rasheed Alkhayoun’s "News of Women," Saleh Aljassar’s "Interpretation of the Mu’allaqat Poems," both set for release in 2024, along with "Alkawakib Alsayaara fi Tartib Alziyara" by Dr. Ahmed Gomaa Abdelhamid.

This year’s edition saw over 4,000 nominations across seven categories from more than 75 countries including new participants like Albania and Bolivia. The award did not select winners for Young Author or Publishing Technology categories this time.

The Sheikh Zayed Book Award is a prestigious independent prize that acknowledges outstanding contributions to literature globally. It celebrates creativity across various fields such as writing, research, translation while promoting cultural exchange through its recognition efforts.

With inputs from WAM