The winner of this year’s “Arabic Booker” as the International Prize for Arabic Fiction (IPAF) is often known, will be announced on April 29 and visitors to the book fair will be among the first to congratulate the recipient, who’ll be on the Discussion Sofa at 6.30pm the following day.
Six authors have been shortlisted this year: Moroccan novelist, screenwriter and playwright Youssef Fadel; Iraqi novelist, journalist and filmmaker Inaam Kachachi; Syrian-born Khaled Khalifa, a novelist, screenwriter and journalist; Moroccan novelist Abdelrahim Lahbibi; Ahmed Mourad, an Egyptian novelist and filmmaker; and, Ahmed Saadawi, an Iraqi novelist, poet, screenwriter and filmmaker.
The winner will get US$50,000 and have their novel published in English. The IPAF is funded by TCA Abu Dhabi and supported by the Booker Prize Foundation.
Previous IPAF winners
2013 Saud Alsanousi
2012 Rabee Jaber
2011 Mohammed Achaari and Raja Alem
2010 Abdo Khal
2009 Youssef Ziedan
2008 Bahaa Taher
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