The International Prize for Arabic Fiction, also known as the Arabic Booker, announced on Wednesday the longlist of 16 novels in contention for the 2018 Prize. The longlist includes two young Egyptian authors; Ahmed Abdel Latif and Rasha Adly. The prize also revealed the judging panel that chose the longlist. The panel was chaired by Jordanian academic, critic, poet, novelist and playwright Ibrahim Al-Saafin. The 2018 judges serving alongside Ibrahim Al-Saafin are Inam Bioud, an Algerian academic, translator, novelist and poet; Jamal Mahjoub, a Sudanese-British writer and novelist; Mahmoud Shukair, a Palestinian short story writer and novelist; and Barbara Skubic, a Slovenian writer and translator. The full 2018 longlist, with author names in alphabetical order, is as follows: Author Title Country of origin Publisher Ahmed Abdel-Latif The Earthen Fortress Egypt Dar al-Ain Atef Abu Saif Christina Palestine Al-Ahlia Rasha Adly Passion Egypt Arab Scientific Publishers Fadi Azzam Huddud's House Syria Dar Al-Adab Antoine Douaihy The Last Country Lebanon Arab Scientific Publishers Amir Tag Elsir Flowers Consumed by Fire Sudan Dar Al-Saqi Aziz Mohammed The Critical Case of "K" Saudi Arabia Dar Tanweer, Lebanon Ibrahim Nasrallah The Second War of the Dog Palestine Arab Scientific Publishers Amjad Nasser Here is the Rose Jordan Dar Al-Adab Hamed Al-Nazir The Black Peacock Sudan Medad Shahad Al-Rawi Baghdad Clock Iraq Dar Al-Hikma, London Taleb Al-Refai Al-Najdi Kuwait That Al-Salasil Walid Shurafa Heir of the Tombstones Palestine Al-Ahlia Dima Wannous The Frightened Ones Syria Dar Al-Adab Hussein Yassin Ali, the Story of an Honourable Man Palestine Dar Al-Ru'aat Amin Zaoui Leg Over Leg - in the Sighting of the Lovers' Crescent Algeria Al-Ikhtilef
Of the 16 authors chosen, many are recognisable names, with three having been shortlisted for the Prize previously – Atef Abu Saif (2015, A Suspended Life); Amir Tag Elsir (2011, The Grub Hunter); and Ibrahim Nasrallah (2009, Time of White Horses). The latter two have also been longlisted and served as mentors on the Prize's Nadwa – an annual writing workshop for talented, emerging writers. A further five of this year's list have been previously longlisted; Fadi Azzam, Antoine Douaihy, Hamed Al-Nazir, Taleb Al-Refai and Amin Zaoui. Ahmed Abdel-Latif, Rasha Adly, Aziz Mohammed, Amjad Nasser, Shahad Al Rawi, Walid Shurafa, Dima Wannous and Hussein Yassin all make their first appearance on the list. The two youngest authors on the list, Saudi Arabian author Aziz Mohamed and Iraqi Shahad Al Rawi, are longlisted with their debut novels. Shahad Al-Rawi's Baghdad Clock has already been translated into English and is due to be published by Oneworld Publications this year. Jaudges panel chair Al-Saafin said that "the novels on the longlist are thematically and stylistically varied: realistic, fantastical, historical and social, but all in their different ways tackle Arab reality and the challenges faced by Arab societies on political, cultural and human levels, as well as grappling with questions of identity. They bring to life the tragic distortions and dreams of these societies, delving deep into the past to throw light on current issues." The prize also announced that the shortlist will be announced in February and the winner will be announced at an awards ceremony held at the Fairmont Bab Al-Bahr in Abu Dhabi on 24 April, the eve of the Abu Dhabi International Book Fair. The six shortlisted finalists will receive $10,000, with a further $50,000 going to the winner. Last year's winner of the prize was A Small Death by Mohamed Hasan Alwan. This year will see the publication in English of 2016 winner Rabai Al-Madhoun's Destinies: Concerto of the Holocaust and Al-Nakba by Hoopoe Fiction, along with 2014 winner Ahmed Saadawi's Frankenstein in Baghdad by Oneworld in the UK and Penguin Books in the US. Other winners already available in English include Baha Taher's Sunset Oasis in 2009 and Youssef Ziedan's Azazeel in 2012. English translations of Abdo Khal's Spewing Sparks as Big as Castles and Mohammed Achaari's The Arch and the Butterfly were published in 2014. Saud Alsanousi's The Bamboo Stalk was published in 2015 and Raja Alem's novel, The Dove's Necklace in 2016.
