Jonathan Taylor, the Prize’s Chair of Trustees, commented: “These are interesting times for Arabic fiction, which are reflected in today’s exceptional announcement. For the first time the Judges decided that the Prize should be shared between two extraordinary books selected from an outstanding shortlist.”
The Arch and the Butterfly
Mohammed Achaari
Synopsis
Tackling the themes of Islamic extremism and terrorism from a new angle, The Arch and the Butterfly explores the effect of terrorism on family life. It tells the story of a left-wing father who one day receives a letter from Al-Qaeda informing him that his son, who he believes is studying in Paris, has died a martyr in Afghanistan. The novel looks at the impact of this shocking news on the life of its hero and consequently on his relationship with his wife.
Biography
Mohammed Achaari is a Moroccan poet born in 1951. He published his first poetry collection in 1978. He has written ten books of poetry, a short story collection and a novel. He has worked in journalism and politics, which has led him to take up various government posts, including that of Minister of Culture in Morocco.
The Doves' Necklace
Raja Alem
Synopsis
The secret life of the holy city of Mecca is revealed in this astonishing story. The world painted by the heroine embraces everything from crime and religious extremism to the exploitation of foreign workers by a mafia of building contractors, who are destroying the historic areas of the city. This bleak scene is contrasted with the beauty of the heroine’s love letters to her German boyfriend.
Biography
Raja Alem is a Saudi novelist. She began publishing her work in the cultural supplement of the “Riyadh” newspaper and began writing experimental plays for the theatre. She has won many prizes, the most recent of which was in 2005 – the Arabic Women’s Creative Writing Prize on the occasion of the 6oth anniversary of the founding of UNESCO; and the Lebanese Literary Club Prize, in Paris, 2008. Some of her works have been translated into English and Spanish.
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