Egyptian author Ahmad al Qarmalawi wins Zayed Book Award

CAIRO – 9 April 2018: Egyptian author Ahmad al Qarmalawi is one of the winners of the 12th edition of the 2017-2018 Sheikh Zayed Book Award, which exists to promote creativity and scholarships in the Arab world and North Africa.

The award, founded back in 2007, is divided across eight categories where winners can earn 750, 000DH (LE 3,605.78). These winners were chosen from around 337 nominees all across the Middle East and North Africa.

Born in Cairo in 1978, Qarmalawi graduated from the Faculty of Construction Engineering at the American University in Cairo (AUC), and later went on to receive a Master's degree from the University of Edinburgh in Scotland. His first novel, "Abbas First" was published in 2013. He received the Zayed Book Award under the "Young Author" category for his novel "Summer Rains" (Amtar Sayfiyyah) which was published by Cairo's Maktabat al-Dar al-Arabiyah lil-Kitab in 2017.

Aside from writing, his hobbies also include oil painting, charcoal, pastel painting and playing the Oud. Other winners of the award include Syrian novelist Khalil Sweileh, winner of the "Literature Award" for the novel "Remorse Test (Ikhtibar al-Nadam)", published in Beirut, 2017 by Nofal- Hachette Antoine. This book explores the psychological damage caused in the wake of the Syrian Civil War.

The Emirate's Hessa al Muhairi won the "Children's Literature" award category for her story "Al Dinoraf", published by Al Hudhud in the UAE (2017). This charming little story for kids teaches of the wonders of diversity and respect by following a long-necked dinosaur, searching for his counterpart across the animal kingdom, which he finally meets through the giraffe. Along the way, he learns a lot about the many animals he meets, understanding what makes each of them special.

The "Translation" award went to Tunisia's Néji Elounelli, who translated the German philosophical text "Ästhetische Theorie" (Aesthetic Theory) by Theodor W Adornointo, which was published by Al Jamal Publications, Beirut 2017. Meanwhile, Morocco's Mohammad Mishbal won the "Literary and Art Criticism" category for his work "The Rhetoric of Al Hajjaj: Towards a rhetoric inspired by Al Hajjaj in analyzing discourse", which was published in Amman by Kunouz Al Ma’refa Publishers, 2017.

Lastly, the "Arab Culture in Other Languages" category was won by German Dag Nikolaus Hasse for "Success and Suppression: Arabic Sciences and Philosophy in the Renaissance."