Abu Dhabi: The Shaikh Zayed Book Award announced on Wednesday the winners for its 12th edition, with the awarding ceremony to take place on April 30.
This year’s edition saw more than 700 submissions for the award from countries around the Arab world. The selected winners will be given a cash prize of Dh750,000, as the award aims to continue promoting the works of authors that help enrich the Arab cultural, intellectual and literature scene.

The Literary and Art Criticism Award went to Moroccan academic Mohammad Mishbal for his work, ‘Fi Balaghat Al Hajjaj: Nahwa balagha hajjajiyyah litahleel al khitab’ (The Rhetoric of Al Hajjaj: Towards a rhetoric inspired by Al Hajjaj in analysing discourse), published by Kunouz Al Ma’refa Publishers, Amman (2017).

Making the announcement, Dr Ali Bin Tamim, secretary-general of Shaikh Zayed Book Award, commented: “The nominations went through a rigorous assessment towards selecting the best of the entire body of works received this year, followed by a series of evaluations lasting for three months by qualified judging panels.
“Throughout the past 12 years since its inception, the award has won a reputation of recognising and celebrating the best text in the Arabic literary production, with a deeply rooted transparency engraved on a regional and an international level,” he added.
Saif Saeed Gobash, director-general of the Department of Culture and Tourism – Abu Dhabi, congratulated the winners for their achievement, stressing that their works deserve the recognition. “As we mark the Year of Zayed, this is a fitting appreciation to the memory of the late Shaikh Zayed Bin Sultan Al Nahyan — crowning this outstanding group of writers, intellectuals, publishers and young talent as winners of an award in his name, and echoing his vision of fostering the sciences to enrich the Arab cultural, literary and social life.”
Winning works
Literature Award

‘Ikhtibar Al Nadam’ (Remorse Test) by Syrian novelist Khalil Sweileh: The novel portrays an inward view of the Syrian Civil War tragedy; the author takes the reader on a trip around Damascus, trudging down the memory lanes and presenting the psychological conflicts amid the shattered reality of place and society — marking an important addition to the Syrian Literature, with a unique use of narrative tools and vocabulary construction.
Children’s Literature Award

‘Amtar Sayfiyyah’ (Summer Rains) by Egyptian writer Ahmad Al Qarmalawi: The novel tackles the interrelations between music and the soul, and the sublimity of the spirit versus covetousness. The work showed an extensive knowledge in music that creates a tangible setting of melodic notes transcending to that of the Sufism station (Maqaam).
Translation Award

‘Natharayya ‘astiteeqyya’ (Ästhetische Theorie), translated by Néji Elounelli from the German work of philosopher Theodor W. Adorno. The book represents an authentic depiction from the German text that is considered a valued work in philosophy whose author is a prominent figure in the Frankfurt school of thought. The work investigates the theoretical paradigm of aesthetics that shifts the perspective from the traditional theory of knowledge to the critical philosophy in society.
Literary and Art Criticism Award

‘Success and Suppression: Arabic Sciences and Philosophy in the Renaissance’ by Dag Nikolaus Hasse: The book is a significant work of scholarship that fills in an important gap in modern knowledge: the fact that works in the Arabic sciences and philosophy played an important role in Western Renaissance Movement. Hasse monitors the influence of Arabic in the intellectual development, debates and controversies of the Renaissance.

Publishing and Technology Award: Dar Al Tanweer
The publishing house is viewed as a luminary institute that contributes generously to spreading the Arabic culture, encouraging authoring and translation. The publishing house continues to assume a leading role in bringing young voices in philosophy and literature to the limelight.

source: gulf news