On March 1, the 16th edition of the International Prize for Arabic Fiction's shortlist was announced, and Saudi novelist Fatima Abdulhamid's book "The Highest Part of the Horizon" made the cut.
Each of the six authors that made the shortlist will get $10,000, with an extra $50,000 going to the winner, who will be revealed on May 21 in Abu Dhabi.
The nominees are as follows:
Fatima Abdulhamid
"The Highest Part of the Horizon," a satirical black comedy written by a Jeddah native, is recounted by Azrael, an angel of death. Saudi Arabian author Fatima Abdulhamid was born in 1982 in Jeddah. Prior to becoming a psychologist, she was a teacher with a BA in psychology. She has written a collection of short stories called Like a Paper Plane (2010), as well as three novels, The Edge of Silver (2013), F for Female (2016), and The Farthest Horizon (2022).
Al-Sadiq Haj Ahmed
The book "Drought," written by an Algerian instructor in General Linguistics and Linguistic Discourse, describes the plight of the Tuareg, who abandoned their homes as a result of the 1973 Saharan drought.
Zahran Alqasmi
The narrative of a water diviner who was hired by the peasants to find underground water springs is told in the book "The Exile of the Water Diviner" by Omani poet and writer.
Najwa Binshatwan
"Concerto Qurina Eduardo," written by the Libyan professor and novelist, is a story about a young girl growing up in Libya and how politics and conflict affect her life and the lives of her extended family.
Azher Jirjees
In his book "The Stone of Happiness," the Iraqi journalist and novelist sheds light on how society's disintegration following war and sectarian strife falls disproportionately on children and the vulnerable.
Miral Al-Tahawy
The Egyptian author's work "Days of the Shining Sun" examines migration and instability via the perspectives of individuals caught between the sufferings of their own countries and the violence of their exiled locations.
