‘Arabic Booker’ isn’t above criticism

Splitting the top Arabic literary prize between a woman and a Moroccan breaks two glass ceilings – but the decision is more likely to spark debate than quell it The International Prize for Arabic Fiction – or, as it’s popularly known, the “Arabic Booker” – has attracted a wealth of controversy in its first four years. A number of prominent authors have refused to let their books be nominated for the prize, which has been accused of, among other things, being too closely allied with governmental powers, discriminating against women and rewarding novels that cater to western interests. One commentator suggested that the favourite to win the 2011 prize – which was awarded yesterday – was Sudanese author Amir Tag al-Sir. This wasn’t so much because of the quality of el-Sir’s novel (although this was acknowledged), but because he was neither Egyptian nor Saudi (the nationalities of previous winners), and was neither a former Moroccan minister of culture (like the shortlisted author Mohammed Achaari) nor the current one (the shortlisted Bensalem Himmich). But the five judges didn’t opt for this “winner of least controversy”. Instead, they chose to split the prize between The Doves’ Necklace, by Saudi novelist Raja Alem, and The Arch and the Butterfly, by Moroccan politician, journalist and author Achaari. In so doing, IPAF organizers have their first female winner (well, half of one) and (half of) their first winner from the Maghreb region. Leading Arabic-French translator Richard Jacquemond predicted that gender might be one of the committee’s considerations. But having two Moroccan novels on the shortlist was “almost as important” as having two women, he said, “since Arabic literature from the Maghreb [west] has been … consistently marginalised by the dominant Mashriqi [eastern] literary scene.” Despite this year’s various hubbubs, 2011 was a much quieter award year than 2010. Last year, newspapers alleged shady back-room deals, and judge Sherine Abu al-Naga resigned before the final selection was made, protesting that the shortlist decision had been made without dialogue or discussion. This year, the judges, at least, seemed to agree on the two winners. In addition to being a woman, Alem is an accomplished author with a number of literary prizes under her belt as well as several books, two of which have appeared in acclaimed English translation. Her winning novel reclaims a past Mecca and is told in a high, historic-folkloric tone, not unlike Orhan Pamuk’s My Name is Red. The Meccan alley of Abu al-Roos, in its opening pages, reflects: “since no one has ever concerned themselves with my enlightenment I have learned to sit intoxicated in the gloom, inhaling a deep breath and trapping it for full minutes before slowly releasing it in the shape of rumours, legends and things forbidden with which I choke my inhabitants, who have begun scrabbling in their past for opiates, unable to bear their current grim reality or comprehend the atomic age that will grind them into the dust.” Achaari is a relative newcomer to the literary scene. While he has written poetry since his youth, The Arch and the Butterfly is only his second novel. The novel’s erudite main character has just lost the son whom he believed was studying engineering in Paris to “martyrdom” with the Taliban. The narrative intelligently and sympathetically follows the resulting crisis of family and identity. But although this year’s prize goes to two worthy novels and breaks two glass ceilings, it’s more likely to generate additional controversy (was Raja Alem chosen because she’s a woman? Did Achaari win because of his political connections and the novel’s western-friendly subject matter? Why couldn’t the judges choose just one winner?) than to quell it. United Arab Emirates Morocco Middle East Saudi Arabia Fiction Awards and prizes M Lynx Qualey guardian.co.uk

Posted by on March 15, 2011. Filed under News, Politics, World News. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. You can skip to the end and leave a response. Pinging is currently not allowed.