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Sheikh Zayed Book Award Announces 2024 Winners
The Sheikh Zayed Book Award, a prestigious initiative by the Abu Dhabi Arabic Language Centre, has revealed the recipients of its 19th edition across eight distinct categories. This year, the award honors individuals from seven countries including the U.K., Italy, Japan, Lebanon, Iraq, Morocco, and the UAE.
The awards drew an impressive response with over 4,000 submissions from 75 nations. The winners will be recognized in a ceremony scheduled for April 28 during the Abu Dhabi International Book Fair. Each laureate will receive a cash prize of 750,000 UAE dirhams (approximately $204,198), while the Cultural Personality of the Year will be awarded one million UAE dirhams (around $272,264).
Haruki Murakami, the acclaimed Japanese novelist, has been honored with the Cultural Personality of the Year award, acknowledged for his “cosmopolitan literary sensibilities and his ability to gather shared influences from diverse cultures,” which has contributed to his popularity in the Arab world, according to the award committee.
Expressing his gratitude in a statement, Murakami stated, “Receiving the Sheikh Zayed Book Award from the United Arab Emirates is both surprising and profoundly honorable. The Arabic language boasts a rich tradition of storytelling, and I am truly honored that my works have been translated and embraced in Arab nations. I believe stories create a common language among people, and I hope that through sharing them, we can foster connections that contribute, even in a small way, to global peace.”
The Literature award was presented to Lebanese author Hoda Barakat for her work Hind, or the Most Beautiful Woman in the World. Meanwhile, The Phantom of Sabiba, authored by Moroccan writer Latifa Labsir, won in the Children’s Literature category.
Arab Literature in Southeast Asia in the Seventeenth and Eighteenth Centuries by Andrew Peacock, a history professor at the University of St. Andrews, received recognition in the Arab Culture in Other Languages category. Additionally, the Translation award was given to Orosius, translated into English by Italian scholar Marco di Branco from the Arabic text Kitāb Hurūshiyūsh, originally authored by Paulus Orosius.
In the Editing of Arabic Manuscripts category, Rasheed Alkhayoun was honored for his book News of Women. Mohamed Bashari’s work, The Right to Strive: Perspectives on Muslim Women’s Rights, won in the Contribution to the Development of Nations category. Lastly, Said Laouadi received accolades in the Literary and Art Criticism category for his book Food and Language: Cultural Excavations in Arabic Heritage.
Ali bin Tamim, the Secretary-General of the Sheikh Zayed Book Award, commented on this year’s winners, stating, “This year’s remarkable laureates reflect the Award’s significant impact encapsulating a wide range of disciplines. They exemplify how literature and scholarship can transcend boundaries to foster a collective global dialogue. We eagerly anticipate celebrating these extraordinary voices at the Award Ceremony in April.”
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