| International Prize for Arabic Fiction | |
| Awarded For: | Best novel published in Arabic |
| Location: | Arab world |
| Year: | 2008 |
| Holder: | Basem Khandakji |
| Website: | http://www.arabicfiction.org |
The International Prize for Arabic Fiction (IPAF) (ar|الجائزة العالمية للرواية العربية), also known as "the Arabic Booker", is regarded as the most prestigious and important literary prize in the Arab world.[1]
Its aim is to reward excellence in contemporary Arabic creative writing and to encourage the readership of high-quality Arabic literature internationally through the translation and publication of winning and shortlisted novels in other major languages. In addition to the prize itself, IPAF supports other literary initiatives. In 2009, IPAF launched its inaugural nadwa (writers' workshop) for emerging writers of fiction in Arabic.
The prize is administered by the Booker Prize Foundation in London, and is currently funded by Department of Culture and Tourism, Abu Dhabi (DCT).
Each year, the winner of the prize receives US$50,000, and the six shortlisted authors receive US$10,000 each.
Full Rules of Entry are available to view here.
= winner
| Year | Status | Author | Title | Country | Publisher |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2008 | Winner | Sunset Oasis | Egypt | na | |
| Shortlist | June's Rain | Lebanon | Dar An Nahar, Beirut | ||
| The Land of Purgatory | Jordan | na | |||
| In Praise of Hatred | Syria | Amisa, Damascus | |||
| Walking in the Dust | Lebanon | na | |||
| Swan Song | Egypt | na | |||
| 2009 | Winner | Azazeel | Egypt | na | |
| Shortlist | The American Granddaughter | Iraq | Dar Al-Jadid, Beirut | ||
| Hunger | Egypt | Dar Al-Adab, Beirut | |||
| The Scents of Marie-Claire | Tunisia | Dar Al-Adab, Beirut | |||
| Time of White Horses | Palestine/Jordan | Arab Scientific Publishers, Beirut and Algiers | |||
| The Unfaithful Translator | Syria | na | |||
| Longlist | Intensive Care | Egypt | na | ||
| Platoon of Rain | Morocco | na | |||
| Black Taste, Black Odour | Yemen | Dar Al-Saqi, Beirut | |||
| The Tobacco Guard | Iraq | na | |||
| The Tumour | Libya | Arab Instt. for Publishing and Studies, Beirut | |||
| The Bottle and the Genie | Syria | Al Kawkab, Beirut | |||
| Prayer for the Family | Lebanon | na | |||
| The Man from Andalucia | Morocco | Dar Al-Adab, Beirut | |||
| Ma' Al Sama | Palestine | Dar al Shorouk, Amman | |||
| The Confessions | Lebanon | na | |||
| 2010 | Winner | Throwing Sparks | Saudi Arabia | na | |
| Shortlist | The Lady from Tel Aviv | Palestine | Arab Institute for Research and Publishing, Beirut | ||
| Beyond Paradise | Egypt | na | |||
| America | Lebanon | Arab Cultural Centre, Morocco and Lebanon | |||
| A Cloudy Day on the West Side | Egypt | Dar El-Shorouk, Cairo | |||
| When the Wolves Grow Old | Jordan | Ministry of Culture Publications, Amman | |||
| Longlist | The Leafy Tree | Saudi Arabia | Dar Al-Mada, Damascus | ||
| Kings of the Sands | Iraq | Kaleem Publishing, Abu Dhabi | |||
| Fingers of Dates | Iraq | Arab Scientific Publishers, Beirut | |||
| Street of Affections | Saudi Arabia | Dar Al-Saqi, Beirut | |||
| A Great Day to Die | Algeria | Al-Ikhtilaf, Algeria | |||
| It's Called Love | Lebanon | na | |||
| 180 Sunsets | Lebanon | Dar Al-Saqi, Beirut | |||
| The Guards of the Air | Syria | Al-Kawkab, Beirut | |||
| Who Will Cheer up the Lady? | Palestine | na | |||
| Origin and Branch | Palestine | na | |||
| 2011 | Winner | The Arch and the Butterfly | Morocco | na | |
| The Dove's Necklace | Saudi Arabia | na | |||
| Shortlist | My Tormentor | Morocco | na | ||
| Brooklyn Heights | Egypt | na | |||
| The Hunter of the Chrysalises | Sudan | Thaqafa I-al-Nashr - Cultural Publications | |||
| An Oriental Dance | Egypt | na | |||
| Longlist | A Short Life | Lebanon | na | ||
| Common Sins | Lebanon | na | |||
| The Eye of the Sun | Syria | na | |||
| Istasia | Egypt | na | |||
| Umbilical Cord | Syria | na | |||
| Turmoil in Jeddah | Saudi Arabia | na | |||
| Women of Wind | Libya | na | |||
| The Andalucian House | Algeria | na | |||
| God's Soldiers | Syria | na | |||
| The Handsome Jew | Yemen | na | |||
| 2012 | Winner | The Druze of Belgrade | Lebanon | na | |
| Shortlist | The Vagrant | Lebanon | na | ||
| Embrace on Brooklyn Bridge | Egypt | na | |||
| The Unemployed | Egypt | na | |||
| Toy of Fire | Algeria | na | |||
| The Women of al-Basatin | Tunisia | na | |||
| Longlist | Sarmada | Syria | na | ||
| Paving the Sea | Lebanon | na | |||
| Sharbel Qatan | Suitcases of Memory | Lebanon | na | ||
| Under the Copenhagen Sky | Iraq | na | |||
| The Nabatean | Egypt | na | |||
| Nocturnal Creatures of Sadness | Egypt | na | |||
| The Amazing Journey of Khair al-Din ibn Zard | Palestine | na | |||
| 2013 | Winner | The Bamboo Stalk | Kuwait | Arab Scientific Publishers | |
| Shortlist | Ave Maria | Iraq | Al-Jamal | ||
| I, She and Other Women | Lebanon | Arab Scientific Publishers | |||
| The Beaver | Saudi Arabia | Dar al-Saqi | |||
| Our Master | Egypt | Bloomsbury Qatar Foundation | |||
| His Excellency the Minister | Tunisia | Dar al-Janub | |||
| Longlist | Toya | Egypt | Al-Dar al-Masriya al-Lubnaniya | ||
| The Kingdom of this Earth | Lebanon | Dar al-Adab | |||
| Jaffa Prepares Morning Coffee | Palestine | Arab Instt. for Research and Publishing | |||
| The Birds of the Holiday Inn | Lebanon | Dar al-Tanwir | |||
| Sinalkul | Lebanon | Dar al-Adab | |||
| Lolita's Fingers | Algeria | Dar al-Adab | |||
| The Return of the Sheikh | Egypt | Rawafid | |||
| Lanterns of the King of Galilee | Palestine/Jordan | Arab Scientific Publishers | |||
| The President's Gardens | Iraq | Thaqafa | |||
| The Goatherd | Algeria | Al-Ikhtilef | |||
| 2014 | Winner | Frankenstein in Baghdad | Iraq | Al-Jamal | |
| Shortlist | A Rare Blue Bird that Flies with Me | Morocco | Dar al-Adab | ||
| Tashari | Iraq | Dar al-Jadid | |||
| No Knives in this City's Kitchens | Syria | Dar al-Ain | |||
| The Journeys of 'Abdi | Morocco | Africa East | |||
| The Blue Elephant | Egypt | ||||
| Longlist | Clouds Over Alexandria | Egypt | Dar al-Shorouq | ||
| Love Stories on al-Asha Street | Saudi Arabia | Dar al-Saqi | |||
| The Bearer of the Purple Rose | Lebanon | Arab Scientific Publishers | |||
| 366 | Sudan | Arab Scientific Publishers | |||
| The Season of Pike Fishing | Morocco | Dar al-Ain | |||
| The Phoenix and the Faithful Friend | Kuwait | Arab Scientific Publishers | |||
| God's Land of Exile | Egypt | Al-Hadara | |||
| Ashes of the East: The Wolf who Grew Up in the Wilderness | Algeria | Al-Jamal | |||
| The Edge of the Abyss | Palestine/Jordan | Arab Scientific Publishers | |||
| The Sad Night of Ali Baba | Iraq | Arab Institute for Research and Publishing | |||
| 2015 | Winner | The Italian | Tunisia | na | |
| Shortlist | A Suspended Life | Palestine | na | ||
| Floor 99 | Lebanon | na | |||
| Diamonds and Women | Syria | na | |||
| The Longing of the Dervish | Sudan | na | |||
| Willow Alley | Morocco | na | |||
| Longlist | Drowning in Lake Morez | Lebanon | na | ||
| Sharp Turning | Egypt | na | |||
| Far from Clamour, Close to Silence | Morocco | na | |||
| Riyam and Kafa | Iraq | na | |||
| Don't Tell Your Nightmare! | Kuwait | na | |||
| Graphite | Egypt | na | |||
| The Daughter of Suslov | Yemen | na | |||
| The Size of a Grape | Egypt | na | |||
| The American Neighbourhood | Lebanon | na | |||
| Female Voices | Syria | na | |||
| 2016 | Winner | Destinies: Concerto of the Holocaust and the Nakba | Palestine | na | |
| Shortlist | Mercury | Egypt | na | ||
| A Sky Close to Our House | Syria | na | |||
| Numedia | Morocco | na | |||
| Praise for the Women of the Family | Palestine | na | |||
| The Guard of the Dead | Lebanon | na | |||
| Longlist | Here | Kuwait | na | ||
| Hymns of Temptation | Palestine | na | |||
| The Temple of Silken Fingers | Egypt | na | |||
| People of the Palms | Iraq | na | |||
| Mariam's Journey | Syria | na | |||
| Desertified Waters | Iraq | na | |||
| Letters of the Storm | Morocco | na | |||
| Warsaw a Little While Ago | Lebanon | na | |||
| The Prophecy of Saqqa | Sudan | na | |||
| The Black Brigade | Egypt | na | |||
| 2017 | Winner | A Small Death | Saudi Arabia | na | |
| Shortlist | The Slave Pens | Libya | na | ||
| Al-Sabiliat | Kuwait | na | |||
| Children of the Ghetto | Lebanon | na | |||
| In the Spider's Room | Egypt | na | |||
| The Bookseller's Murder | Iraq | na | |||
| Longlist | Hot Maroc | Morocco | na | ||
| One Room Is Not Enough | United Arab Emirates | na | |||
| The Witches' Resort | Sudan | na | |||
| Index | Iraq | na | |||
| Swastika | Iraq | na | |||
| Days of Dust | Iraq | na | |||
| The North Africans | Morocco | na | |||
| The Slaughter of the Philosophers | Syria | na | |||
| Paolo | Egypt | na | |||
| The Year of the Radio | Lebanon | na | |||
| 2018 | Winner | The Second War of the Dog [2] | Palestine/Jordan | Arab Scientific Publishers | |
| Shortlist | The Frightened Ones | Syria | Dar al-Adab | ||
| The Critical Case of K | Saudi Arabia | Dar Tanweer, Lebanon | |||
| The Baghdad Clock | Iraq | Dar al-Hikma, London | |||
| The Heir of the Tombstones | Palestine | Al Ahlia | |||
| Flowers in Flames | Sudan | Dar Al Saqi | |||
| Longlist | The Last Country | Lebanon | Arab Scientific Publishers | ||
| The Earthen Fortress | Egypt | Dar al-Ain | |||
| The Black Peacock | Sudan | Medad | |||
| Passion | Egypt | Arab Scientific Publishers | |||
| Leg Over Leg - in the Sighting of the Lovers' Crescent | Algeria | Al-Ikhtilef | |||
| Huddud's House | Syria | Dar al-Adab | |||
| Here is the Rose | Jordan | Dar al-Adab | |||
| Christina | Palestine | Al Ahlia | |||
| Ali, the Story of an Honourable Man | Palestine | Dar al-Ru'aat | |||
| Al-Najdi | Kuwait | That al-Salasil | |||
| 2019 | Winner | The Night Mail [3] | Lebanon | Dar al-Adab | |
| Shortlist | The Commandments | Egypt | Kotob Khan | ||
| The Outcast | Iraq | Dar al-Jadid | |||
| What Sin Caused Her to Die? | Morocco | Cultural Book Center | |||
| Summer with the Enemy | Syria | Difaf Publishing | |||
| Cold White Sun | Jordan | Dar al-Adab | |||
| Longlist | Women Without Trace | Lebanon | Riyad al-Rayyes | ||
| Women of the Five Senses | Jordan | Arabic Institute for Research and Publishing | |||
| Western Mediterranean | Morocco | Arabic Institute for Research and Publishing | |||
| Voyage of the Cranes in the Cities of Agate | Saudi Arabia | Dar Al Saqi | |||
| The Mexican Wife | Egypt | Dar al-Shorouk | |||
| Mohammed's Brothers | Iraq | Dar al-Dhakira | |||
| Me and Haim | Algeria | Dar Mim | |||
| I Killed My Mother in Order to Live | Lebanon | Riyad al-Rayyes | |||
| Black Foam | Eritrea | Dar Tanweer (Lebanon) | |||
| May — the Nights of Isis Copia | Algeria | Dar al-Adab | |||
| 2020 | Winner | The Spartan Court [4] | Algeria | Dar Min | |
| Shortlist | The Tank | Iraq | Al-Mutawassit | ||
| The Russian Quarter | Syria | Difaf Publishing | |||
| The King of India | Lebanon | Dar Al Saqi | |||
| Firewood of Sarajevo | Algeria | Al-Ikhtilef | |||
| Fardeqan – the Detention of the Great Sheikh | Egypt | Dar al-Shorouk | |||
| Longlist | Salim Barakat | What About Rachel, the Jewish Lady? | Syria | Arabic Institute for Research and Publishing | |
| The War of the Gazelle | Libya | Tripoli Scientific Bookshop | |||
| The Stairs of Trolar | Algeria | Editions Barzakh | |||
| The Mingling of the Seasons | Algeria | Al-Ikhtilef | |||
| The Last Days of the Pasha | Egypt | Arab Scientific Publishers | |||
| Sleeping in the Cherry Field | Iraq | Dar al-Rafidain | |||
| Seferberlik | Saudi Arabia | Dar Al Saqi | |||
| No One Prayed Over Their Graves | Syria | Hachette Antoine/Naufal | |||
| Hammam Dhahab | Tunisia | Mesaa | |||
| Al-Mutanabbi's Rabat | Morocco | Al-Markez al-Thaqafi al-Arabia | |||
| 2021 | Winner | Notebooks of the Bookseller [5] | Jordan | The Arabic Institute for Research and Publishing | |
| Shortlist | The Eye of Hammurabi | Algeria | Dar Mim | ||
| Calamity of the Nobility | Tunisia | Dar Mesaa | |||
| The Bird Tattoo | Iraq | Dar al-Rafidain | |||
| Longing for the Woman Next Door | Tunisia | Dar al-Adab | |||
| File 42 | Morocco | Al-Markez al-Thaqafi al-Arabi | |||
| Longlist | The Life of Butterflies | Morocco | Al-Mutawassit | ||
| Hole to Heaven | Saudi Arabia | Dar Rashm | |||
| J | Algeria | Dar al-Adab | |||
| Boxes of Desire | Lebanon | Dar al-Ain | |||
| Two Green Eyes | Sudan | Dar Tanweer - Lebanon | |||
| The Night Bird | Algeria | Manshurat al-Hibr | |||
| M for Murderer: S for Sa'id | Kuwait | Riwayat | |||
| Fruit for the Crows | Yemen | Al-Mutawassit | |||
| Daughter of the Tigris | Iraq | Dar al-Mada | |||
| The Orchards of Basra | Egypt | Dar al-Shorouk | |||
| 2022 | Winner | Mohamed Alnaas | Bread on Uncle Milad's Table [6] | Libya | Rashm |
| Shortlist | Khalid Al-Nasrallah | The White Line of Night | Kuwait | Dar Al Saqi | |
| The Prisoner of the Portuguese | Morocco | Dar Mim | |||
| Reem al-Kamali | Rose's Diary | UAE | Dar al-Adab | ||
| Dilshad | Oman | Takween | |||
| Cairo Maquette | Egypt | Al-Mutawassit | |||
| Longlist | Dima Al Shukr | Where Is My Name? | Syria | Dar Al Adab | |
| Yaa'rab al-Eissa | The White Minaret | Syria | Al-Mutawassit | ||
| Mohamed Tawfik | The Whisper of the Scorpion | Egypt | Dar al-Ain | ||
| The Maids of the Shrine | Kuwait | Dar Al Saqi | |||
| The Hungarian | Algeria | Dar al-Adab | |||
| The Alley of the Italians | Algeria | Al-Ikhtilef | |||
| The Abyssinian Rimbaud | Eritrea | Takween | |||
| Mother of Mimi | Egypt | Dar al-Mada | |||
| In Search of Azar | Syria | Al Kotob Khan | |||
| Farah's Story | Egypt | Dar al-Shorouk | |||
| 2023 | Winner | The Exile of the Water Diviner | Oman | Rashm | |
| Shortlist | The Highest Part of the Horizon | Saudi Arabia | Masciliana | ||
| Drought | Algeria | Dar Dwaya | |||
| Concerto Qurina Eduardo | Libya | Takween - Iraq | |||
| The Stone of Happiness | Iraq | Dar Al-Rafidain - Lebanon | |||
| Days of the Shining Sun | Egypt | Dar al-Ain | |||
| Longlist | The Ages of Daniel in the City of Threads | Egypt | Dar al-Ain | ||
| The Ruler of the Two Fortresses | Syria | Dar al-Adab | |||
| Bar Lialina | Egypt | Dar al-Shorouk | |||
| The Melody of the Rabbit | Morocco | Al-Mutawassit | |||
| My Name Is Zayzafoune | Syria | Al-Rabie | |||
| The Box of Sand | Libya | Al-Mutawassit | |||
| The Antikkhana | Egypt | Dar al-Shorouk | |||
| The Family House | Morocco | Dar al-Ain | |||
| One Night is Enough | Jordan | Al Aan | |||
| They All Say I Love You | Egypt | Dar al-Shorouk | |||
| 2024 | Winner | Basim Khandaqji | A Mask, the Color of the Sky | Palestine | Dar al-Adab |
| Shortlist | Suleima’s Ring | Syria | Tanmia Publishing | ||
| The Seventh Heaven of Jerusalem | Palestine | Al Mutawassit | |||
| Bahbel: Makkah Multiverse 1945-2009 | Saudi Arabia | Dar Tanweer | |||
| Gambling on the Honor of Lady Mitsy | Egypt | Dar Dawen | |||
| The Mosaicist | Morocco | Masciliana | |||
| Longlist | Nearly Every Day | Egypt | Markez al-Mahrusa | ||
| Foumbi | Oman | Dar Al Saqi | |||
| I Heard Everything | Iraq | Dar al-Hikma | |||
| The Other Face of the Shadow | Lebanon | Dar Al Saqi | |||
| I Hide Passion | Tunisia | Sindbad | |||
| Eye of the Kite | Saudi Arabia | Dar Rashm | |||
| Storm Over the Islands | Algeria | Dar al-Tanweer Algeria | |||
| Spice Circle | UAE | Al-Mutawassit | |||
| Reader of the Tanners' Alley | Tunisia | Masciliana | |||
| The Idols | Algeria | Daliman |
The winner was announced on 10 March 2008. The shortlist was announced on 29 January 2008, chosen from 131 entries.
The winner was announced on 16 March 2009. The shortlist was announced on 10 December 2008. The longlist was announced on 11 November 2008, chosen from 121 entries.
The winner was announced on 2 March 2010. The shortlist was announced on 15 December 2009. The longlist was announced on 17 November 2009, chosen from 115entries.
The shortlist was announced 9 December 2010, chosen from a total of 123 submissions and a longlist of 16.[7] The winners were announced on 14 March 2011, the eve of the Abu Dhabi International Book Fair. This marked the first time the award had been split, as well as the first female winner (Raja'a Alem).[8]
A total of 101 submissions from 15 countries were whittled down to a longlist of 13. This list was announced in November 2011. The final shortlist of six books was revealed on 11 January 2012. The winner was announced 27 March 2012.[9]
The longlist of 16 books was announced on 6 December 2012.[10] The shortlist of six books was announced on 9 January 2013.[11] The winner was announced on 23 April 2013.[12] [13]
The longlist of 16 books was announced 7 January 2014.[14] The shortlist of 6 books was announced 10 February 2014.[15] The winner was announced 29 April 2014.[16] [17] [18]
On 13 February 2015 the shortlist was announced.[19] The winner was announced 6 May 2015.[20]
The longlist was announced on 12 January 2016. The winner was announced 26 April 2016.[21]
The winner was announced 25 April 2017.[22]
The longlist was announced on 17 January 2018. The winner was announced 24 April 2018.
The shortlist was announced on 5 February 2019, chosen from a total of 134 submissions from 9 Arab countries.[23] The shortlist titles [24]
The winner was announced on 14 April 2020. The shortlist was announced on 4 February 2020. The longlist was announced on 17 December 2019, chosen from 128 entries.
The longlist was chosen on 1 March 2021, chosen from 121 entries. The shortlist was announced on 29 March 2021 and the winner on 25 May 2021.[25]
The judges since 2008 are listed below:
As of 2020, the following authors have been nominated at least three times:
Three nominations
Four nominations
Countries
The countries with the most nominations are:
Sudan, Eritrea and the UAE have one nomination each.