Sheikh Zayed Book Award Announces Longlist for ‘Translation’ Category

28 Nov, 2021

The Sheikh Zayed Book Award of the Abu Dhabi Arabic Language Centre (ALC), part of the Department of Culture and Tourism – Abu Dhabi (DCT Abu Dhabi), has revealed the longlisted titles for the ‘Translation’ category for its 16th edition.

From a total of 148 submissions for the 2021/22 edition, 10 titles from publishers in six Arab countries – Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Syria, Iraq, Morocco and Tunisia – were nominated for the longlist.

English books translated into Arabic received the largest number of titles with six nominations:

- ‘Al Qira’a wal Kitaba fi al Jazeera al Arabiya Qabl al Islam wa Huwyiat Mumariseeha’ (Literacy and Identity in Pre-Islamic Arabia) authored by Michael MacDonald, translated by Dr. Fahad Mutlaq A. Alotaibi from Saudi Arabia, and published by King Saud University Press in 2020.
- ‘Al Bahr wal Hadara: Al Tareekh al Bahri lil Aalam’ (The Sea and Civilisation: A Maritime History of the World) authored by Lincoln Payne, translated by Dr Mostafa Mohamad Abdallah Kassem from Egypt, and published by King Saud University Press in 2019.
- ‘Al Muwatana Muta’addidat al Thaqafat: Natharyia Liberaliya li Huqooq al Aqaliyyat’ (Multicultural Citizenship: A Liberal Theory of Minority Rights) authored by Will Kymlicka, translated by Abdennour Kharraki from Morocco, and published by the American University of Baghdad in 2021.
- ‘Hermes al Arabi: Min Hakeem Wathany ila Nabi al Elm’ (The Arabic Hermes from Pagan Sage to Prophet of Science) authored by Kevin Van Bladel, translated by Mohamed Salem Obada from Egypt, and published by Bait Elyasmin Publishing & Distribution with National Center for Translation in 2020.
- ‘Leonardo da Vinci’ by Walter Isaacson, translated by Mohsen Bani Saeed from Iraq/Australia, and published by Nabu Publishers in 2020.
- ‘Nash’at al Insaniyat Einda al Muslimeen wa fi al Gharb al Maseehi’ (The Rise of Humanism in Classical Islam and the Christian West) authored by George Makdisi, translated by Dr. Ahmed Aladawi from Egypt, and published by Madarat for Research and Publishing in 2021.

The longlist features three books translated from French into Arabic:
- ‘Al Qawl wal Maqoul’ (Le dire et le dit) authored by Oswald Decro, translated by Besma ben Haj Rehouma Alchekili from Tunisia, and published by Institut de Traduction de Tunis and Med Ali Editions in 2019.
- ‘Ikhtilaq Oropa’ (L’invention de l’Europe) authored by Emmanuel Todd, translated by Ahmed Fadhel Alhlaili from Tunisia, and published by Mominoun Without Borders Publishing & Distribution in 2020.
- ‘Ratha’il al Maarifa: Bahth fi al Ahkaam al Akhlaqiya al Fikriya’ (Les Vices du savoir: Essai d'éstique intellectuelle) authored by Pascal Engel, translated by Dr Kassem Almekdad from Syria, and published by Ninawa Studies Publishing & Distribution in 2021.

The translation category's longlist also included one Arabic book translated into English:

- ‘Fadaalat al Ikhwan fi Tayibat al Ta’aam wal Alwan’ (Best of Delectable Foods and Dishes from Al-Andalus and Al-Maghrib: A Cookbook by 13th Century Andalusi Scholar Ibn Razin Al-Tujibi, 1227–1293), authored by Ibn Razin Al-Tajibi, translated by Nawal Nasrallah from Iraq/USA, and published by Brill Publishing in 2021.

The Sheikh Zayed Book Award (SZBA) will be soon announcing the longlisted entries across the remaining categories.

The awards honour the outstanding achievements of innovators and thinkers in literature, the arts, and humanities in Arabic and other languages. It aims to advance Arabic literature and culture, providing new opportunities for Arabic-language writers. Authors writing about Arab culture and civilisation in English, French, German, Italian, Spanish, and Russian also are recognised by the Award.