A total prize pool of $650,000 is on offer, with main prize standing at $200,000.
Several Moroccan novels and studies have been shortlisted among the top nine contenders in various categories for Qatar’s prestigious 10th Katara Prize for Arabic Fiction, reports Morocco World News.
The Katara Cultural Village Foundation announced this week that the shortlist includes 36 works across categories such as “Published Novels,” “Unpublished Novels,” “Unpublished Young Adult (YA) Novels,” and “Unpublished Literary Criticism.”
The 2024 edition of the Katara Prize received an impressive 1,697 submissions broken down thus: 886 unpublished novels, 437 novels published in 2023, 177 unpublished YA novels, 91 unpublished studies, 7 published Qatari novels, and 99 unpublished historical novels.
In the “Unpublished Novels” category, Morocco is represented by three authors: Abdelghani Haddadi with “Miraat la taakis dilaha” (A Mirror That Does Not Reflect Its Shadow), Chaimae Rawam with “Aala marri al ljirah” (At the Crossroads of Wounds), and Yassine Kenni with “Al aabat” (The Absurd).
Other countries featured include Egypt, Syria, Saudi Arabia, Yemen, Algeria, Libya, and Mauritania, Iraq, Jordan,, Lebanon and Palestine, but I have yet to see any updates in English from these countries. Morocco knows how to promote its culture!
A total prize pool of $650,000 is on offer, with main prize standing at $200,000. Partially sponsored by UNESCO, the prize ensures that winning novels are translated into five languages, including French and English.
Morocco World News has more details and an overview of Moroccan literature.
This post first appeared in the TNPS LinkedIn newsfeed.
