Abu Dhabi’s swank Beach Rotana Hotel hosted the ceremony for the second International Prize for Arabic Fiction, also known as the “Arabic Booker.” The $50,000 award was given to Yusuf Ziedan’s second novel, Beelzebub – he was the second Egyptian in as many years to win. The book bested a shortlist that included fellow Egyptian Mohammad Al Bisatie Hunger, Syrian Fawwaz Haddad’ s The Unfaithful Translator, Iraqi Inaam Kachachi’s The American Granddaughter, Jordanian-Palestinian Ibrahim Nasrallah’s Time of White Horses, Tunisian Habib Selmi’s The Scents of Marie-Claire.
Beelzebub, called Azazeel in Arabic, offers philosophical examination of the internal wrangling of religious faiths, including particular Sufism, Christianity, and paganism, in the late fifth century Egypt and Syria. It drew condemnation from some critics who felt he was being overly critical on Christianity.
The judges praised the author’s ability to “write a modern story in a classical, yet inventive style.” The author, who teaches philosophy and is a director of the Library of Alexandria, acknowledged that his style drew heavily from “Arabic heritage” and was one not seen in modern Arabic writing.
Wielding a large white novelty check as cameras flashed, Ziedan said that winning validated his book’s literary merit, especially in light of the controversy. He added that it was a “landmark in my life” and he now felt a need to try and surpass himself.
The win guarantees that Beelzebub will be translated into English, a program funded by Granta owner Sigrid Rausing. The inaugural prize winner, Sunset Oasis by the Egyptian novelist Bahaa Taher, is scheduled for publication in English this summer by Sceptre in the UK.
In remarks leading up to the announcement, Ahmed Ali al Sayegh, the managing director of the Emirates Foundation — the IPAF prize’s financial sponsor — suggested that the Foundation might help translate some of the prize’s other shortlisted books and is considering a plan for further children’s and young adult literature. The implication was that new awards in such categories may be under consideration.
Answering the question of whether the world needs another award, Jonathan Taylor, chairman of the Booker Prize Foundation, said that prizes such as this do one important thing: “It resolves the paradox between the bestseller and the masterpiece by turning the latter into the former
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