Banipal Prize for Arabic Literary Translation

The Banipal Prize, whose full name is the Saif Ghobash–Banipal Prize for Arabic Literary Translation, is an annual prize awarded to a translator (or translators) for the published English translation of a full-length literary work in the Arabic language.^[1] The prize was inaugurated in 2006 by the literary magazine Banipal which promotes the diffusion of contemporary Arabic literature through English translations and the Banipal Trust for Arab Literature. It is administered by the Society of Authors in the UK (which runs a number of similar literary translation prizes), and the prize money is sponsored by Omar Saif Ghobash and his family in memory of Ghobash's late father Saif Ghobash. As of 2009, the prize money amounted to £3000.

Winners and nominees[]

= winner

2006[]

Humphrey Davies: Gate of the Sun by Elias Khoury
Hala Halim: Clamor of the Lake by Mohamed el-Bisatie
Paul Starkey: Stones of Bobello by Edwar al-Kharrat

Judges: Moris Farhi, Maya Jaggi, Roger Allen

2007[]

Farouk Mustafa (pen-name Farouk Abdel Wahab): The Lodging House by Khairy Shalaby
Marilyn Booth: Thieves in Retirement by Hamdi Abu Golayyel
Peter Theroux: Saraya, The Ogre’s Daughter by Emile Habiby

Judges: Moris Farhi, Maya Jaggi, Roger Allen

2008[]

Fady Joudah: The Butterfly’s Burden by Mahmoud Darwish
Ghassan Nasr: The Journals of Sarab Affan by Jabra Ibrahim Jabra
Nancy Roberts: The Man from Bashmour by Salwa Bakr

Judges: Marilyn Booth, Aamer Hussein, , Roger Allen

2009[]

Samah Selim: The Collar and the Bracelet by Yahya Taher Abdullah
Michelle Hartman: Wild Mulberries by Iman Humaydan Younes
Elliott Colla: Gold Dust by Ibrahim al-Koni

Judges: Francine Stock, Aamer Hussein, Marilyn Booth, Roger Allen

2010[]

Source:^[2]^[3]

Humphrey Davies: Yalo by Elias Khoury
Humphrey Davies: Sunset Oasis by Bahaa Taher
Kareem James Abu-Zeid: Cities without Palms by Tarek Etayeb

Judges: Margaret Drabble, Susan Bassnett, Elliott Colla, Yasir Suleiman

2011[]

Source:^[4]^[5]^[6]

Khaled Mattawa: Selected Poems by Adonis
Barbara Romaine: Spectres by Radwa Ashour
Maia Tabet: White Masks by Elias Khoury

Judges: Sarah Churchwell, Joan Smith, , Samuel Shimon

2012[]

Source:^[7]

Roger Allen: A Muslim Suicide by Bensalem Himmich
Humphrey Davies: I Was Born There, I Was Born Here by Mourid Barghouti

Judges: Ruth Padel, Esther Freud, Fadhil al-Azzawi,

2013[]

Source:^[8]^[9]

Jonathan Wright: Azazeel by Youssef Ziedan
William Maynard Hutchins: A Land Without Jasmine by Wajdi al-Ahdal

Judges: Humphrey Davies, Hassan Abdulrazzak, Rajeev Balasubramanyam, Meike Ziervogel

2014[]

Source:^[10]^[11]

Sinan Antoon: The Corpse Washer by Sinan Antoon
Paula Haydar: June Rain by Jabbour Douaihy

Longlist

The Mehlis Report by Rabee Jaber, trans. Kareem James Abu-Zeid (New Directions)
The Arch and the Butterfly by Mohammed Achaari, trans. Aida Bamia (Bloomsbury Qatar Foundation Publishing)
Private Pleasures by Hamdy El-Gazzar, trans. Humphrey Davies (AUC Press)
Ben Barka Lane by Mahmoud Saeed, trans. (Interlink Publishing Co.)
Other Lives by Iman Humaydan, trans. Michelle Hartman (Interlink Books)
Throwing Sparks by Abdo Khal, trans. Maia Tabet and (Bloomsbury Qatar Foundation Publishing)
That Smell by Sonallah Ibrahim, trans. Robyn Creswell (New Directions)
House of the Wolf by Ezzat El Kamhawi, trans. Nancy Roberts (AUC Press)
New Waw by Ibrahim al-Koni, trans. William M. Hutchins (University of Texas Press)
Moon and Henna Tree by Ahmed Toufiq, trans. Roger Allen (University of Texas Press)
The Bridges of Constantine by Ahlem Mosteghanemi, trans. (Bloomsbury)
Earth Weeps, Saturn Laughs by , trans. Nancy Roberts (AUC Press)
Gertrude by Hassan Najmi, trans. Roger Allen (Interlink Books)
Status Emo by Eslam Mosbah, trans. (AUC Press)
The Silence and the Roar by Nihad Sirees, trans. Max Weiss (Pushkin Press)

Judges: , , Samuel Shimon, Jonathan Wright

2015[]

Source:^[12]

Paul Starkey for The Book of the Sultan's Seal: Strange Incidents from History in the City of Mars by Youssef Rakha
Land of No Rain by Amjad Nasser, trans. Jonathan Wright

Longlist

Stealth by Sonallah Ibrahim, trans. (New Directions, USA)
The Penguin's Song by Hassan Daoud, trans. Marilyn Booth (City Lights Publishers, USA)
African Titanics by Abu Bakr Khaal, trans. (Darf Publishers, UK)
Butterfly Wings by Mohamed Salmawy, trans. Raphael Cohen (The American University in Cairo Press, Egypt/USA)
Fullblood Arabian by Osama Alomar, trans. (New Directions, USA)
The Broken Mirrors: Sinalcol by Elias Khoury, trans. Humphrey Davies (Maclehose Press, UK)
Diary of a Jewish Muslim by Kamal Ruhayyim, trans. Sarah Enany (The AUC Press, Egypt/USA)
Who's Afraid of Meryl Streep by Rashid Al-Daif, trans. Paula Haydar and (Centre for Middle Eastern Studies, University of Texas at Austin, USA)
French Perfume by Amir Tag Elsir, trans. William M. Hutchins (Antibookclub, USA)
Nothing More to Lose by Najwan Darwish, poetry trans. Kareem James Abu-Zeid (NY Books, USA)
The Iraqi Nights by Dunya Mikhail, poetry trans. Kareem James Abu-Zeid (New Directions, USA)
The Woman from Tantoura by Radwa Ashour, trans. (The AUC Press, Egypt/USA)
Dates on my Fingers by Muhshin al-Ramli, trans. (The AUC Press, Egypt/USA)
Oh, Salaam! by Najwa Barakat, trans. (Interlink, USA)
Where Pigeons Don't Fly by Yousef Al-Mohaimeed, trans. Robin Moger (Bloomsbury Qatar Foundation Publishing)
Women of Karantina by Nael Eltoukhy, trans. Robin Moger (The AUC Press, Egypt/USA)
The Crocodiles by Youssef Rakha, trans. Robin Moger (Seven Stories Press, USA)
Days of Ignorance by , trans. Nancy Roberts (Bloomsbury, UK/USA)
Chaos of the Senses by Ahlem Mosteghanemi, trans. Nancy Roberts (Bloomsbury)
The Lanterns of the King of Galilee by Ibrahim Nasrallah, trans. Nancy Roberts (The AUC Press, Egypt/USA)
Blue Lorries by Radwa Ashour, trans. Barbara Romaine (Bloomsbury Qatar Foundation Publishing)
Beirut, Beirut by Sonallah Ibrahim, trans. (Bloomsbury Qatar Foundation Publishing)
The Book of the Sultan's Seal by Youssef Rakha, trans. Paul Starkey (Interlink, USA)
Monarch of the Square: an Anthology of Mohamed Zafzaf's Short Stories by Mohamed Zafzaf, trans. and Roger Allen (Syracuse University Press, USA)
The Chronicles of Majnun Layla and Selected Poems by Qassim Haddad, poetry trans. John Verlenden and Ferial Ghazoul (Syracuse University Press, USA)
Rain Over Baghdad by Hala el Badry, trans. Farouk Abdel Wahab (The AUC Press, Egypt/USA)
Land Of No Rain by Amjad Nasser, trans. Jonathan Wright (Bloomsbury Qatar Foundation Publishing)
Temple Bar by Bahaa Abdelmegid, trans. Jonathan Wright (The AUC Press, Egypt/USA)
Chewing Gum by Mansour Bushnaf, trans. Mona Zaki (Darf Publishers, UK)

Judges: Robin Ostle, Samira Kawar, Alastair Niven, Susannah Tarbush.

2016[]

Source:^[13]

Jonathan Wright for his translation of the novel The Bamboo Stalk by Saud Alsanousi

Longlist

Confessions by Rabee Jaber, trans. Kareem James Abu-Zeid (New Directions, USA)
The Bride of Amman by Fadi Zaghmout, trans. (Signal 8 Press, Hong Kong)
Desert Sorrows by , trans. and Anthony A Lee (Michigan State University Press, USA)
My Torturess by Bensalem Himmich, trans. Roger Allen (Syracuse University Press, USA)
Hurma by Ali al-Muqri, trans. T M Aplin (Darf Publishers, UK)
Ebola '76 by Amir Tag Elsir, trans. Charis Bredin and Emily Danby (Darf Publishers, UK)
32 by Sahar Mandour, trans. Nicole Fares (Syracuse University Press, USA)
The Automobile Club of Egypt by Alaa Al Aswany, trans. Russell Harris (Canongate, UK)
Ali and his Russian Mother by Alexandra Chreiteh, trans. Michelle Hartman (Interlink Publishing, USA)
Telepathy by Amir Tag Elsir, trans. William M Hutchins (Bloomsbury Qatar Foundation Publishing, Qatar)
The Scarecrow by Ibrahim al-Koni, trans. William M Hutchins (CMES, University of Texas at Austin, USA)
A Portal in Space by Mahmoud Saeed, trans. William M Hutchins (CMES, University of Texas at Austin, USA)
All Faces but Mine by Samih al-Qasim, trans. Abdulwahid Lu‘lu‘a (Syracuse University Press, USA)
Mortal Designs by Reem Bassiouney, trans. Melanie Magidow (AUC Press, Egypt/USA)
The Dust of Promises by Ahlem Mostaghanemi, trans. Nancy Roberts (Bloomsbury Publishing, UK)
Whitefly by Abdelilah Hamdouchi, trans. Jonathan Smolin (Hoopoe Fiction, Egypt/USA)
The Holy Sail by , trans. Karim Traboulsi (Bloomsbury Qatar Foundation Publishing, Qatar)
The Bamboo Stalk by Saud Alsanousi, trans. Jonathan Wright (Bloomsbury Qatar Foundation Publishing, Qatar)
The Televangelist by Ibrahim Essa, trans. Jonathan Wright (Hoopoe Fiction, Egypt/USA)

Judges: Paul Starkey, Lucy Popescu, Zahia Smail Salhi, Bill Swainson,

2017[]

Source:^[14]

Robin Moger for The Book of Safety by Yasser Abdel Hafez
The Dove's Necklace by Raja Alem, trans. Katharine Halls and Adam Talib (Duckworth)
No Knives in the Kitchens of This City by Khaled Khalifa, trans. Leri Price (Hoopoe)
Limbo Beirut by Hilal Chouman, trans. Anna Ziajka Stanton (Center for Middle Eastern Studies, Univ. Texas Press)

Judges: Alastair Niven, Peter Kalu, Wen-chin Ouyang, Salam Sarhan.

2018[]

Source:^[15]

The President's Gardens by Muhsin Al-Ramli, tr. (MacLehose Press/Quercus)
Concerto al-Quds by Adonis, tr. Khaled Mattawa (Yale University Press)
Frankenstein in Baghdad by Ahmed Saadawi, tr. Jonathan Wright (Oneworld)
Using Life by Ahmed Naji, tr. (CMES Publications, UT Austin)

Longlist[]

In Jerusalem and Other Poems by Tamim al-Barghouti, translated by Radwa Ashour, Tamim al-Barghouti, Ahdaf Soueif (Interlink Books)
No Road to Paradise by Hassan Daoud, translated by Marilyn Booth (Hoopoe Fiction, AUC Press)
Divine Names by Luay Abdul-Ilah, translated by (Mira Publishing)
Hend and the Soldiers by Badriah Albeshr, translated by (CMES Publications, Univ Texas at Austin)
The American Quarter by Jabbour Douaihy, translated by Paula Haydar (Interlink Books)
The Apartment in Bab el-Louk by Donia Maher (with illustrations by Ganzeer and Ahmad Nady), translated by Elisabeth Jaquette (Darf Publishers)
Suslov's Daughter by Habib Abdulrab Sarori, translated by Elisabeth Jaquette (Darf Publishers)
Tales of Yusuf Tadrus by Adel Esmat, translated by (AUC Press)
All The Battles by Maan Abu Taleb, translated by Robin Moger (Hoopoe Fiction, AUC Press)
Embrace on Brooklyn Bridge by Ezzedine C. Fishere, translated by John Peate (AUC Press)
Gaza Weddings by Ibrahim Nasrallah, translated by Nancy Roberts (Hoopoe Fiction, AUC Press)
Farewell, Damascus by Ghada Samman, translated by Nancy Roberts (Darf Publishers)
Bled Dry by Abdelilah Hamdouchi, translated by Benjamin Smith (Hoopoe Fiction, AUC Press)
The Blueness of the Evening: Selected Poems of Hassan Najmi by Hassan Najmi, translated by Mbarek Sryfi and Eric Sellin (University of Arkansas Press)
Fractured Destinies by Rabai al-Madhoun, translated by Paul Starkey (Hoopoe Fiction, AUC Press)
The Baghdad Eucharist by Sinan Antoon, translated by Maia Tabet (Hoopoe Fiction, AUC Press)

Judges: Pete Ayrton, Georgia de Chamberet, Fadia Faqir and Sophia Vasalou.

2019[]

Source: ^[16]

Death is Hard Work by Khaled Khalifa, translated by Leri Price (Faber & Faber)
Celestial Bodies by Jokha Alharthi, translated by Marilyn Booth (Sandstone Press)
My Name is Adam: Children of the Ghetto Volume 1 by Elias Khoury, translated by Humphrey Davies (MacLehose Press)
Jokes for the Gunman by Mazen Maarouf, translated by Jonathan Wright (Granta Books)

Judges: Ghazi Gheblawi (chair), Dr Jan Fortune, Abla Oudeh, Catherine Taylor.

2021[]

The shortlist was announced on 24 November 2021. The jury consisted of Roger Allen (Chair), Rosemarie Hudson, Ronak Hosni, and Caroline McCormick.^[17] The winner was announced on 12 January 2022.^[18]^[19]

Voices of the Lost by Hoda Barakat (Oneworld) translated by Marilyn Booth [Lebanon]
The Girl with Braided Hair by Rasha Adly (Hoopoe Fiction), translated by Sarah Enany [Egypt]
A Bed for the King’s Daughter by Shahla Ujayli (Center for Middle Eastern Studies/University of Texas Press), translated by Sawad Hussain (Syria)\
The Frightened Ones by Dima Wannous (Harvill Secker), translated by Elisabeth Jaquette (Syria)
God99 by Hassan Blasim (Comma Press), translated by Jonathan Wright

References[]

^ "The Saif Ghobash – Banipal Prize for Arabic Literary Translation". The Banipal Trust for Arab Literature. Retrieved 5 May 2013.
^ Susannah Tarbush. "Two Arab novelists on the frontline in English". Saudi Gazette. Archived from the original on February 1, 2014. Retrieved January 19, 2014.
^ "5th Winner of Saif Ghobash–Banipal Prize for Arabic Literary Translation Announced". Asia Writes. 24 February 2011. Archived from the original on 2014-02-01. Retrieved January 19, 2014.
^ Adrian Tahourdin (6 February 2012). "Translation Prizes 2011". Times Literary Supplement. Retrieved January 19, 2014.
^ Benedicte Page (8 February 2012). "SoA makes Literature in Translation awards". The Bookseller. Retrieved January 19, 2014.
^ Lynx Qualey (January 31, 2012). "In other words: Spotlight on Banipal Prize awardee Barbara Romaine". Egypt Independent. Retrieved January 19, 2014.
^ Meris Lutz (January 17, 2013). "Roger Allen wins translation prize for 'A Muslim Suicide'". The Daily Star. Lebanon. Retrieved January 17, 2013.
^ "The Banipal Translation Prize - The 2013 Award". Banipal Trust for Arab Literature. Retrieved 2018-12-10.
^ Faizal Haque (January 19, 2014). "Wright and Hutchins win Banipal Prize for Arabic translation". Times of Oman. Archived from the original on February 2, 2014. Retrieved January 19, 2014.
^ "The Banipal Translation Prize - The 2014 Award". Banipal Trust for Arab Literature. Retrieved 2018-12-10.
^ Adrian Tahourdin (February 27, 2015). "Abroad in English". Times Literary Supplement. Retrieved February 28, 2015.
^ "The Banipal Translation Prize - The 2015 Award". Banipal Trust for Arab Literature. Retrieved 2018-12-10.
^ "The Banipal Translation Prize - The 2016 Award". Banipal Trust for Arab Literature. Retrieved 2018-12-10.
^ "The Banipal Translation Prize - The 2017 Award". Banipal Trust for Arab Literature. Retrieved 2018-08-16.
^ "The Banipal Translation Prize - The 2018 Award". Banipal Trust for Arab Literature. Retrieved 2018-12-10.
^ www.banipaltrust.org.uk https://www.banipaltrust.org.uk/prize/. Retrieved 2020-02-17. {{cite web}}: Missing or empty |title= (help)
^ "Banipal Trust for Arab Literature - The Banipal Translation Prize - The 2021 Award". www.banipaltrust.org.uk. Retrieved 2021-11-26.
^ "Banipal Trust for Arab Literature - The Banipal Translation Prize - About the Prize". www.banipaltrust.org.uk. Retrieved 2022-01-27.
^ "Translator Sarah Enany wins 2021 Banipal Prize for 'The Girl with Braided Hair'". Hoopoe. 2022-01-12. Retrieved 2022-01-27.

[1] "The Saif Ghobash – Banipal Prize for Arabic Literary Translation". The Banipal Trust for Arab Literature. Retrieved 5 May 2013.

[2] Susannah Tarbush. "Two Arab novelists on the frontline in English". Saudi Gazette. Archived from the original on February 1, 2014. Retrieved January 19, 2014.

[3] "5th Winner of Saif Ghobash–Banipal Prize for Arabic Literary Translation Announced". Asia Writes. 24 February 2011. Archived from the original on 2014-02-01. Retrieved January 19, 2014.

[4] Adrian Tahourdin (6 February 2012). "Translation Prizes 2011". Times Literary Supplement. Retrieved January 19, 2014.

[5] Benedicte Page (8 February 2012). "SoA makes Literature in Translation awards". The Bookseller. Retrieved January 19, 2014.

[6] Lynx Qualey (January 31, 2012). "In other words: Spotlight on Banipal Prize awardee Barbara Romaine". Egypt Independent. Retrieved January 19, 2014.

[7] Meris Lutz (January 17, 2013). "Roger Allen wins translation prize for 'A Muslim Suicide'". The Daily Star. Lebanon. Retrieved January 17, 2013.

[8] "The Banipal Translation Prize - The 2013 Award". Banipal Trust for Arab Literature. Retrieved 2018-12-10.

[9] Faizal Haque (January 19, 2014). "Wright and Hutchins win Banipal Prize for Arabic translation". Times of Oman. Archived from the original on February 2, 2014. Retrieved January 19, 2014.

[10] "The Banipal Translation Prize - The 2014 Award". Banipal Trust for Arab Literature. Retrieved 2018-12-10.

[11] Adrian Tahourdin (February 27, 2015). "Abroad in English". Times Literary Supplement. Retrieved February 28, 2015.

[12] "The Banipal Translation Prize - The 2015 Award". Banipal Trust for Arab Literature. Retrieved 2018-12-10.

[13] "The Banipal Translation Prize - The 2016 Award". Banipal Trust for Arab Literature. Retrieved 2018-12-10.

[14] "The Banipal Translation Prize - The 2017 Award". Banipal Trust for Arab Literature. Retrieved 2018-08-16.

[15] "The Banipal Translation Prize - The 2018 Award". Banipal Trust for Arab Literature. Retrieved 2018-12-10.

[16] www.banipaltrust.org.uk https://www.banipaltrust.org.uk/prize/. Retrieved 2020-02-17. {{cite web}}: Missing or empty |title= (help)

[17] "Banipal Trust for Arab Literature - The Banipal Translation Prize - The 2021 Award". www.banipaltrust.org.uk. Retrieved 2021-11-26.

[18] "Banipal Trust for Arab Literature - The Banipal Translation Prize - About the Prize". www.banipaltrust.org.uk. Retrieved 2022-01-27.

[19] "Translator Sarah Enany wins 2021 Banipal Prize for 'The Girl with Braided Hair'". Hoopoe. 2022-01-12. Retrieved 2022-01-27.

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Banipal Prize for Arabic Literary Translation

Contents

Winners and nominees[]

2006[]

2007[]

2008[]

2009[]

2010[]

2011[]

2012[]

2013[]

2014[]

2015[]

2016[]

2017[]

2018[]

Longlist[]

2019[]

2021[]

See also[]

References[]