Address of the Iraqi Writer Samuel Shimon
Chair of the judges for the International Prize for Arabic Fiction
2007/ 2008 Session

Ladies and Gentlemen,

Good evening,

It is my honor to be the chairman of the judges for the “International Prize for Arabic Fiction” in its first session initiated this year and to be surrounded by the members: Mohammed Berrada, Mohammed Bennis, Feissal Darraj, Paul Starkey and Ghalia Kabbani, who are all highly experienced, qualified and unbiased.

And now, allow me to begin my speech.

Last June, I was in New York, invited by a Palestinian friend for spending a few weeks to write my second novel, or let’s say my second book.
I headed to an Internet café near Union Square in the morning to check my email. I found a message from London, in which the sender asks me if I want to be the chair of the “International Prize for Arabic Fiction” judging panel, followed by: You are the right person and I hope you accept.

Surprised, I said to myself: “Me!!! President of an international award jury!!! That’s awesome.”

I went and sat on a bench in Union Square Park. And when I usually rest on a bench in a public park, I honestly remember, ladies and gentlemen, my displacement days in Paris during the 80’s.

While still sitting on the bench in Union Square Park, I asked myself once again: “Am I qualified to be an international award jury chair?”

Then I began talking to myself:
You read between 40 and 50 novels every year, since you work with Banipal magazine, specialized in translating Arabic literature into English;
You started writing and publishing 30 years ago and you wrote a novel 2 years ago that was a success in all Arab countries;
You are friends with most of the Arab authors and poets;
You supervise one of the most important cultural websites that publishes the works of young Arab authors in the Arab world and abroad;
You are passionate about literature and devoted to promoting Arabic literature;

Besides, what does being the president of a literary award jury mean?
Isn’t the job of the president limited to organizing the assignments of the jury members, scheduling meetings and finishing tasks on time?

I went to the internet café and wrote an email: It is my honor to be the president of the jury for this award that will play, and I am sure of that, an important role in spreading and celebrating Arabic novels in the world.

I sent the message and I forgot to include two things:
First, I am not an academician.
Second, I like to wear sports shoes.

A salute to the Emirates Foundation,
A salute to the British Booker,
A salute to the Board of trustees for its trust in me,
A salute to the colleagues in the Jury hoping they forgive my mistakes, 
A salute to the beating heart of this award, Joumana Haddad.

*

Address of the jury
on the submitted novels for the International Prize for Arabic Fiction
First Session/ 2008

The novels submitted for the International Prize for Arabic Fiction in its first session in 2008, offer a comprehensive picture of the trends of novel writing in the Arab world, which included multiple topics both in connection with the reality of current Arab societies or past historic times that still cast a shadow on the present. The large number of participating novels shows the advanced level that novelists and writers from different generations, who joined culture and a deep sensitivity and experience, have reached and the constancy of novel writing in the Arab world in general. These are true indicators that show that novels became a distinctive literary genre that occupies a distinct position in modern Arabic literature.

The jury noticed that the structure of novels, in terms of language and elements, has multiple forms and methods. The structure patterns were varied according to novelists’ awareness, their interaction with the language and their ability to use writing techniques and methods.

The consistent innovation in novels corresponds with profound changes experienced by the Arab world for the past quarter-century until today. This was reflected in writings that included novelists’ previous experience and renewing it and was manifested in various forms: mixing between novel and biography, return to history in its various stages, emphasis on the human being, extending the problematic of emigrants, fantasy and tendency for sarcastic comedy and violent realism.    
And this was sometimes accompanied with a mixture of fantasy as well as historical and social documents.
All of this reflects a major transition in Arabic novels from the forms that prevailed in the past to artistic forms that enrich the understanding of the current Arab reality and its complexities.

The value of the human experience that is the focus of literary works is added to this technical characteristic. The quality of life, whether individual or collective, which is exposed in novels, is rich in characters, themes and spaces, attitudes and values, within a comprehensive monitoring of the humanitarian situations, dilemmas and facts that reveal the reality of the Arab community in the modern era or the social and cultural relationships of this community during past times.

The themes of these works were mainly about freedom in its comprehensive sense, where political obstacles dominate societies ruled by authorities that do not respect the human will, and where the freedom of expression or the freedom of establishing institutions and organizations contradict with the ruling authority.

 
And there is also the theme of religious intolerance that many novels tackled. They observed how religion shifted from an inherited doctrine along with its values, traditions and customs to an ideology that incites violence and calls for intolerance in Arab societies.

Another topic, sex, is addressed in novels that reveal its relationship with the two mentioned themes: freedom and religion.
Sexual life is depicted from different angles and points of view of both women and men. This shows that the Arabic novel shifted the issue of sex from secrecy to the explicit expression of its complex conditions, in the time of transformations experienced by the community as well as by each individual, including all the desires, forbidden materials, ruptures and illusions. And then there's the globalization theme, which includes all the Arab countries. Within this theme, novels reveal the characteristics of a society hastening towards consumerism, rapid profit and a tendency for division against unity that was the headline of a communal project for the state and the community in the previous phase.

The jury members noted that there is a clear flaw in a large number of nominated novels as to language correctness, with the absence of Arab publishers in assuming the responsibility for correcting works and language mistakes which we regrettably find dominating many of the nominated works.

*

Address on the judging process
And Award Announcement

The jury began its work in July 2007 by reading the nominated novels. It was our goal to set the level of our work to suit this international award that aims at celebrating novels and novelists in the Arab world.

The jury meetings went through two phases:
The first was held in London on the 28th of January 2008, as full members of the Committee assembled in closed meetings, and selected the following long list of sixteen novels:

The land of Purgatory,  Elias Farkouh, Azminah Publishers and the Arab Institution for Studies.

The philosopher of quarantine, Wajdi Al Ahdal, Abadi Center for Studies and Publishing, Sanaa.

As if she were sleeping, Elias Khoury, Al Adab Publishers, Beirut.

In the occasion of life, Yasser Abed Al Hafez, Merit Publishers, Cairo.

Sunset oasis, Baha Taher, Al Shourouk Publishers, Cairo.

Walking in the dust, May Menassa, Riyad Al Rayess Publishers, Beirut.

June rain, Jabbour Douaihy, An Nahar Publishers, Beirut.

The beginning of day, Saad Al Kirsh, Lebanese Egyptian Publishers, Cairo.

Dunya, Alawiyya Sobeh, Al Adab Publishers, Beirut.

Cain, where is your brother Abel?, Ibrahim Al Kaouni, Arab Institution for Studies, Amman, Beirut.

In praise of hatred, Khaled Khalifa, Amissa Publishers, Damascus.

Swan song, Mekkaoui Said, Al Dar for publication and distribution, Cairo.

Doorsteps of Joy, Ibrahim Abed Al Majid, Al Shourouk Publishers, Cairo.

An interval for amazement, Mohammed Al Fakhrani, Al Dar for publication and distribution, Cairo.

Earth cries, Saturn laughs, Abed Al Aziz Al Farisi, Al Intishar Al Arabi Publishers, Beirut.

The story teller of Cordoba, Abed Al Jabbar Adwan, Al Farabi Publishers, Beirut.

The jury then held on the same date in London a second meeting that lasted until late at night and selected the following short list consisting of six novels that was announced at the time:

June rain, Jabbour Douaihy
The land of Purgatory,  Elias Farkouh
In praise of hatred, Khaled Khalifa
Walking in the dust, May Menassa
Swan song, Mekkaoui Said
Sunset oasis, Baha Taher

The jury held two meetings in Abu Dhabi on the ninth and tenth of March in a second stage. The first meeting was dedicated to open discussions and extensive exchange of views on all short novels on the list. This meeting was an opportunity for members of the jury to express their opinions on the novels, while providing the justifications for their personal choices and revealing aesthetics of novel writing.

Then, the last meeting was held this afternoon to select the award winning novel. This meeting was marked by the spirit of democracy in the last defense of every member on the work deemed eligible for the award. Immediately after listening to all points of view, with all the goodwill and mutual respect, members of the jury voted for all the novels on the short list, according to the voting system for this award. After the votes were counted in the presence of the Administrator of the award, the winning novel was:
“Sunset Oasis” by Egyptian Writer Bahaa Taher.

According to the decision of the jury,
“ Bahaa Taher addressed in “Sunset Oasis” the reality of human beings that will always remain incomplete by using profuse stylistic methods and ended by defending dialogue and mutual recognition, and rejecting fanaticism and closed ideas.
This expansive humanitarian perception was behind this mix between near present and distant past, and pushed him towards tolerant dialogue between East and West, a dialogue that denies hatred and prejudice. 
Bahaa Taher drafted a vast human world, converting narrow places into vast ones, creating from the specific time indefinite times that go back to the past, read the present and head to a potential human future which promotes peace and prohibits war.
The novelist reached his humanitarian questions while reflecting on reality in the Arab world that celebrates the past rather than celebrating the future and decides on answers before formulating questions.
Bahaa Taher based his novel on integrated artistic elements, demonstrating an amazing economy of language and relying on fine cultural awareness.
Then there was “Sunset Oasis”, distinct in form and meaning, to brace Arab novel writing that is constantly growing through experimentation and storming problematic issues.”

In conclusion, I am pleased to announce that all the jury members expressed their pride in the way things were going and their full satisfaction on the final outcome of this session.

We congratulate Bahaa Taher and congratulate ourselves for his novel “Sunset Oasis” for winning the award.

Thank you.

Summary of the winning novel:

“Sunset Oasis”, Bahaa Taher.

This novel weaves its space from the historical elements relating to Siwa Oasis, the pharaohs and the history of the legendary Alexander until we come to Egypt under the British occupation at the end of the 19th century. Within this space full of signs and symbols, we are faced with a complex love story, fraught with anxiety and loss of identity, through two problematic characters: Mahmoud, the officer who was sent to Siwa to collect taxes from the inhabitants of the oasis and to ensure security, and Catherine, his Irish wife, who adores excavations works specially the tomb of Alexander, and who is indifferent to the inhabitants of Siwa who were displeased from her behavior and curiosity.

Through a parallel narration, alternated by both Mahmoud and Catherine, with explanations from Sheikhs Yahya and Saber, the problematic character of Mahmoud is revealed. He who, in his youth, sympathized with Ahmed Orabi and his revolution, but withdrew in the crucial moment just like he hesitated in responding to Nehma’s love that has been emerging in his dreams, despite his marriage to Catherine that showed him a world of different culture and values. During his work in Siwa, Mahmoud will be exposed to other aspects of outdated traditions and the resort to the Otherworldliness and irrational behavior. He then finds himself falling in love with Fiona, his wife’s sister who is fascinated by myths and spiritual intuition.      

Along with these problematic characters that pose questions on existence, identity and relationship to history, we find typical characters such as Sheikh Yahya and Saber, Al’uzbashi Wasfi the ambitious, the devoted soldier Ibrahim and Malikah the beautiful pariah…

The side stories and the sub-narrations have the role of creating a deep dialogue between the historical elements and models of humans living in Egypt during the beginning of the 19th century, who are facing questions on the relationship with the past and the present, with the self and the other, with the history and the future.
From this perspective, the oasis of Siwa seems, with its inhabitants, its customs and its values, a world that belongs to the past and its logic, while the authority, the officer and Catherine represent a different logic that cannot overcome the problem.
Eventually, the ending of the novel opens horizons to leave these constraints and stagnation, when Mahmoud blows the temple while repeating: “The temple must be completely destroyed. We must end all past stories in order for the grandchildren to wake up from the illusions of greatness and false solace.”

As such, the novel “Sunset Oasis” becomes deeply entrenched in the questions on present Egypt that seeks to liberate itself from the past and its sway.