2 Egyptian Works Feature for Sheikh Zayed Prize in Literature

The Sheikh Zayed Prize in Literature announced on Sunday the longlist of the qualified works for the prize. Only 15 works were selected from nine countries among 852 submitted pieces.

Most of the nominated titles belong to the "Literary Texts" category, while only two are classified as verse work.

Two Egyptian participants were qualified for the longlist round. They are "Ghorbet Al Manazel" (Unpleasant Houses) by Ezzat Al Qamhawy, and "Matahit Al Abid" (The Maze of Adorer) by Mohamed Youssef Al Gharbawy.

The featured books are: "Yamiyat Rose" (Diary of Rose) by Rim Al Kamali from (UAE), "Al Rehla Al Naqesa" (Unfinished Journey) by Fatima Al Mohsin (Iraq), "Safar Wahshy" (Fierce Travel) by Mohamed Haiawy (Iraq), "Sir Al Moriski" (Morisco's Secret) by Mohamed Al Agami (Oman), and "Wa Tohamilni Hirty Wa Zonony..Siret Al Takween" (And Blaming Me for My Temptations and Confusions, the Story of Genesis) by Said Benkrad (Morroco).

In addition, "Shinqiti" by Al Sayed Wild Abah (Mauritania), "Rabie Al Ghaba" (The Forest's Spring) by Jamal Matar (UAE), "Habs Qara" (Isolated Continent) by Said Bin Said El Alawi (Morroco), "Makhtot Petersburg" (Petersburg's Manuscript) by Ligan Doust (Syria), "Khatf Al Habib" (Lover's Kindnaped) by Talib El Refaie (Kuwait), "Maqha Ris, Ain Aala Misr" (Café Riche, Eye on Egypt) by Maisoon Saqr (UAE), "La Harb Fi Torwada, Kalimat Homeros Al Akhera" (No War in Troy, Homer's Final Words) by Nouri Al Jarah (Syria), and "Tadares Al Hazayan" (Terrain of Loss) by Jassim Al Sahih (KSA), were mentioned on the list alongside the previously mentioned two Egyptian works.

Early this year, the Egyptian author and poetess Iman Mersal won the Sheikh Zayed Book Award (SZBA), Literature category on Thursday for her book “Fee Athar Enayat Al-Zayyat (In the Footsteps of Enayat Al Zayyat).

Released in 2019, the book is a journey into the world’s of a departed writer who committed suicide in her mid-twenties.

Mersal follows her passion and inner voices to get closer to Al Zayyat’s tragic life that drove her to commit suicide.

She attempts to touch upon every tie related to the young departed author including her friends, relatives, old notes, and old file in her workplace.