Saudi novelist long-listed for prestigious literary prize

Mohammed Hassan Alwan, who was chosen as one of the 39 best Arab authors under the age of 40, by the Beirut39 project in 2010, has been long-listed for his novel ‘The Beaver’ for the International Prize in Arabic Fiction (IPAF).
The annual literary prize, which has been operating under the support of the Booker Prize Foundation, London, and funded by the Abu Dhabi Tourism and Culture Authority in the UAE, is running in its sixth year and has evolved into one of the leading prizes for prose fiction in the Arab world.
The Chair of the Board of Trustees Jonathan Taylor, commented: “The IPAF judges have chosen another outstanding long-list. It is chosen without regard to nationality, religion, gender, age or politics. The judges’ only objective is to identify the very highest quality of Arabic literary fiction.”
Alwan, 33, who is also an alumnus of the IPAF inaugural writer’s workshop, began to write ‘The Beaver’ during the workshop. The novel has made it into the short-list for the 2013 prize.
He has published three novels and a collection of short stories and is one among the sixteen authors whose book titles were selected from 133 contending entries, published in the last 12 months.
“As a young writer from Saudi Arabia, I feel that my writing, although inwardly focused, can be outwardly read and recognized. For me, this is one of the core characteristics of literature. My hope is that it will spread a message of peace and mutual understanding among nations,” said the young novelist.
Alwan is of the opinion that while Saudi Arabia is currently undergoing changes in its social and cultural structure, and it is the country’s predominantly young population that are charged with facing questions of the past with tools of the future, that more often than not lead to intellectual conflicts.
“Novel writing has always been used as a tool to help diagnose society during a transformative era,” he added further.
The names of the six short-listed finalists will be announced alongside the panel of judges in Tunis on Jan. 9, 2013.
One of the anonymous judges commented, saying: “The members of the judging panel did not find it difficult to come to a decision about the long-list. They were delighted to discover new literary talents, many of whom have not had wide exposure until now. The panel’s interest was focused on the talent displayed in the novel, the writer’s ability to express his or her thoughts, and what each novel has to offer — both to Arab society and to the reader, wherever he or she may be.”
The six short-listed finalists will receive
$ 10,000, while the winner will receive an additional $ 50,000. With IPAF’s aim to increase the international outreach of Arabic fiction, the prize guaranteed English translations for its 2012 winners. Saudi Arabia’s Raja Alem, who won the prize in 2011 for her novel ‘The Doves’ Necklace’, also secured an English translation for her work.
This year’s sixteen long-listed stories focused on contemporary issues that have occurred during the past twenty-five years, rather than being staged during historical periods. Story themes ranged from the impact of 9/11 on Arabs living in Europe to the Israeli-Palestinian struggle, including political and sexual freedom, and emancipation.
While the Arab Spring has featured heavily in the submissions received this year, the judges are of the opinion that the subject still needs some time to mature.
The Abu Dhabi Tourism and Culture Authority announced the long-list on Thursday and will announce the final winner at an awards ceremony on April 23, 2013 — on the eve of the Abu Dhabi International Book Fair.
For further information on the prize, visit: www.arabicfiction.org