The International Prize for Arabic Fiction (IPAF) yesterday announced the shortlist for its 19th edition. The selected novels are: 'Asl al-Anwa'' by Ahmed Abdel Latif (Egypt), 'Nawam al-Qaylah' by Amin Zaoui (Algeria), 'Fawqa Raasi Sahabah' by Daa Ibrahim (Egypt), 'Aghal Majr al-Nahr' by Said Hatimi (Algeria), 'Al-Ra'i' by Diaa Jabili (Iraq), and 'Ghaybat May' by Najwa Barkat (Lebanon). The winning novel will be announced in Abu Dhabi on April 9. The shortlist was unveiled at a press conference held at the Bahrain Authority for Culture and Antiquities in Manama. The chair of the judging panel, Mohammad Al-Qadi, presented the nominated titles. The conference was attended by panel members: writer and translator Shaker Nouri (Iraq), academic and critic Diaa Al-Kaabi (Bahrain), academic Lee Hae-Won Baek (South Korea), writer and translator Maya Abu Al-Hayat (Palestine), the chair of the board of trustees, Yaser Suleiman, and the prize coordinator, Florent Montanaro. The shortlist for the 19th edition features authors from four Arab countries: Algeria, Iraq, Lebanon, and Egypt, aged between 37 and 69. Their novels are distinguished by their diverse themes and styles, addressing contemporary issues. This season, three writers have been nominated for the shortlist for the first time: Daa Ibrahim, Diaa Jabili, and Najwa Barkat. It is worth noting that three writers have previously reached the final stages of the prize: Ahmed Abdel Latif (longlisted in 2018 and 2023), Amin Zaoui (longlisted three times in 2013, 2018, and 2024), and Said Hatimi (shortlisted in 2020).
