Publishers have until 31 July 2008 to submit their entries for the International Prize for Arabic Fiction (IPAF) 2009. This prestigious new literary prize, now in its second year, aims to reward excellence in contemporary Arabic creative writing and to encourage wider readership of quality Arabic literature internationally.
The inaugural year of the Prize has seen some significant successes, not just for the 2008 winner, Baha Taher for Sunset Oasis, but for all of the 5 shortlisted novels which have received offers of translation.
Humphrey Davies, the acclaimed translator of Arab literature, has been commissioned to translate Baher Taher’s SUNSET OASIS into English.  The translation has been funded by Sigrid Rausing and SUNSET OASIS will be published in the UK by Sceptre (an imprint of Hodder & Stoughton Ltd) in late Summer, 2009.  The author’s agent, Andrew Nurnberg Associates Ltd, is currently finalising contracts in a number of overseas territories.

Of the shortlisted writers, Mekkawi Said has signed a contract with the American University of Cairo for translation into English. June Rain, written by the Lebanese writer Jabbour Douaihy, is to be published by Dar Al Shorook in Egypt and is being translated into French, to be published by Actes Sud. Khaled Khalifa has received offers of translation in to Spanish, French and Italian; Elias Farkouh has had offers of translation in to German by a Swiss publisher and for May Menassa translation in to English is underway with offers of translation for Dutch, French and German editions.

Joumana Haddad, Administrator for the IPAF, comments:

"We are extremely pleased by the worldwide interest that the International Prize for Arabic Fiction has raised in high quality Arabic fiction, with translations of the winner's book as well of the shortlisted authors works to many European languages. That is one of the key aims that the prize has set for itself, and we do hope that with time we will contribute positively to promote Arabic literature the way that it deserves worldwide. So far this year we have received novels from 13 different Arab countries and we welcome submissions until the end of July."
Jonathan Taylor, Chairman of IPAF and of the Booker Prize Foundation, adds: “Although the prize is only one year old, it is already succeeding in its objective to secure recognition, reward and readership for outstanding writers of Arabic fiction. To this end the successful achievement of translation of the 2008 winner and shortlisted authors has been crucial.”
Ahmed Al Sayegh, managing director of the Emirates Foundation, added: “This prize is fulfilling its objective, encouraging authors to write first class fiction, building a multinational appreciation for Arabic literature and promoting world wide readership”.
The Prize was officially launched in Abu Dhabi, UAE, in April 2007 in association with the Booker Prize Foundation and with the support of the Emirates Foundation. It is awarded specifically for prose fiction in Arabic and each of the six shortlisted authors receives $10,000, with a further $50,000 going to the winner.
The Prize received 131 submissions in its first year from the following eighteen Arab countries: Egypt, Syria, Lebanon, Jordan, Saudi Arabia, Iraq, Palestine, United Arab Emirates, Morocco, Libya, Tunisia, Sudan, Algeria, Eritrea, Mauritania, Yemen, Oman and Bahrain. The majority of the submissions came from Egypt, Syria and Lebanon, with nearly a quarter of submissions from female writers.
The longlist of the International Prize for Arabic Fiction 2009 will be announced in October, followed by the shortlist in December at a press conference in London. The winner will be announced in Abu Dhabi in March next year.

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Notes to Editors

• Spokespeople for the Prize are: Jonathan Taylor CBE, Chairman of IPAF and of the Booker Prize Foundation and Joumana Haddad, Prize Administrator. To arrange an interview, please contact: Jane Acton or Katy MacMillan-Scott at Colman Getty on 020 7631 2666 or firstname@colmangetty.co.uk.
• Joumana Haddad can be contacted by email – info@arabicfiction.org, or on 009619935333
• Khuloud Al Nuwais, project manager in the Emirates Foundation, can be contacted at: kalnuwais@emiratesfoundation.ae
• The International Prize for Arabic Fiction launched in 2007. For a full history of the prize visit the website: www.arabicfiction.org. The site features the rules of entry, background information and breaking news and is the quickest way for the prize’s worldwide audience to access information
• All works submitted for the International Prize for Arabic Fiction must be prose fiction in Arabic. The shortlist of the inaugural International Prize for Arabic Fiction consists of six books
• For information on Sunset Oasis, please contact Jenny Savill at Andrew Nurnberg Associates tel: 020 7417 8800 or email jsavill@nurnberg.co.uk
• The International Prize for Arabic Fiction is sponsored by the Emirates Foundation, one of the leading philanthropic organisations in the UAE
• An independent Board of Trustees, drawn from across the Arab world and beyond, is responsible for the overall management of the prize. The trustees are, in alphabetical order: Marie-Thérèse Abdul-Messih, Professor of English & Comparative Literature, University of Cairo, Egypt; Dr. Peter Clark OBE, Independent Consultant and Writer, Middle East Cultural Advisory Services, UK; Riad El-Rayyes, Publisher, Riad El-Rayyes Books, Lebanon; Omar Saif Ghobash, Cultural Activist, Abu Dhabi, UAE; Sasha Havlicek, Executive Director, Trialogue Educational Trust; Khaled Hroub, Arab journalist, UK; Farouk Mardam-Bey, Cultural Advisor, Institut du Monde Arabe, France; Ibrahim El Moallem, Publisher, ex-Head of Arab Publisher’s Union, Egypt; Zaki Nusseiben, Advisor, Ministry of Presidential Affairs – Vice-Chairman Abu Dhabi Authority for Culture and Heritage; Margaret Obank, Publisher and Editor, Banipal magazine of Modern Arab Literature, UK; William Sieghart Chairman & Founder, Forward Publishing, National Poetry Day, UK; Yasir Suleiman, Professor of Arabic, University of Cambridge, UK; Evelyn Smith, Company Secretary, Booker Prize Foundation, UK; Jonathan Taylor CBE, Chairman, Booker Prize Foundation, UK

For further information and press enquiries please contact
Jane Acton or Katy MacMillan-Scott at Colman Getty
Tel: 020 7631 2666