The International Prize for Arabic Fiction, known as the "Arabic Booker" prize, announced its longlist of 16 novels on Monday, featuring works by Egyptian authors Hisham al Khashin, Muna al Sheemi and Ashraf al Khamaisi. The 16 novels were chosen from 180 entries, all of which were published in the last 12 months in 15 Arab countries. The longlisted authors of 2015 are from nine countries. The majority are from Morocco, Iraq, and Egypt. Five of the authors were previously nominated for the prize, including Jabbour Douaihy, who was shortlisted in both 2008 and 2012. This year witnessed five female authors being longlisted - the largest number in the prize's history. Only 11 female authors have been nominated for the prize since it was launched in 2009. The International Prize for Arabic Fiction is an annual literary prize run with the support of the Booker Prize Foundation in London and funded by the Tourism and Culture Authority of Abu Dhabi in the UAE. Although the prize is often referred to as the ‘Arabic Booker,' the prize's organizers say that it is not connected with the UK's Man Booker Prize. Below is the full 2015 longlist: Title Author Country of origin Publisher A Suspended Life Atef Abu Saif Palestine Al-Ahlia Far from Clamour, Close to Silence Mohammed Berrada Morocco Le Fennec Drowning in Lake Morez Antoine Douaihy Lebanon Dar al-Mourad The American Neighbourhood Jabbour Douaihy Lebanon Saqi Books Floor 99 Jana Elhassan Lebanon Difaf Publications Diamonds and Women Lina Huyan Elhassan Syria Dar al-Adab Don't Tell Your Nightmare! Abdel Wahab al-Hamadi Kuwait Al-Markez al-Thaqafi al-Arabi Female Voices Maha Hassan Syria Dar Tanweer, Lebanon Riyam and Kafa Hadia Hussein Iraq Arab Institute for Research and Publishing Sharp Turning Ashraf al-Khamaisi Egypt Al-Dar al-Masriya al-Lubnaniya Graphite Hisham al-Khashin Egypt Maktabat al-Dar al-Arabiyya lil Kitab The Italian Shukri al-Mabkhout Tunisia Dar Tanweer, Tunis Willow Alley Ahmed al-Madeeni Morocco Al-Markez al-Thaqafi al-Arabi The Daughter of Suslov Habib Abdulrab Sarori Yemen Saqi Books The Size of a Grape Muna al-Sheemi Egypt Al-Hadara The Longing of the Dervish Hamour Ziada Sudan Dar al-Ain
