Participants at the ‘Arabic Novel: Prize Value and Judging Criteria’ symposium highlighted that the Katara Prize for Arabic Novel contributed to enriching the Arab novel scene both creatively and critically.
The symposium was amongst a variety of cultural activities at the Doha International Book Fair (DIBF) at its 32nd edition, placed currently at Doha Exhibition and Convention Center under the slogan “With Reading We Rise.” Participating in the symposium was Director of the Department of Cultural Affairs and Events Khaled Al Sayed, as well as Algerian novelist and winner of several Arabic novel prizes, including the Katara Prize of Arabic Novel in its first edition, Waciny Laredj, and Omani writer and the recent winner of the Arabic Booker Prize Zahran Alqasmi, moderated by reporter Samara Alquatly.
Al Sayed emphasized the role the prize plays in the Arab novel scene and how it became a new platform and station in the novel world. As it rattled the novel scene while showcasing new creators and critics, pointing out that the purpose of the award since its first edition in 2015 was to support young people, and the category of unpublished novels as well as interest in critical studies that contributed to the creation of an Arab and global literary climate.
According to Al Sayed, it had succeeded in being an Arab platform through its recognition by the Arab League’s Educational, Cultural and Scientific Organization (ALECSO) and the Arab Ministers for Cultural Affairs decision on its initiative to make the International Day for Arabic Fiction. And in a cooperative decision between ALECSO and Katara Publishing House, the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) allocated the Arab Novel Week from 13 to 20 October each year.
More so, the Director of the Department of Cultural Affairs and Events of the Katara Prize for Arabic Novel discussed the date of the prize and how to nominate it, the conditions of the nomination and the judging criteria.
He added that the winner of the prize initially has to be an Arabic novel, written proficiently, and critiqued by academics. Noting that the number of applicants to the prize from the first cycle to date has reached 133,407 participants, 213 books were published, and the number of winners has reached 146 novelists and critics, as well as 340 judges participating in the judging process. More than that, the director stressed that the criteria were strict in the evaluation and that each novel was judged by three critics.
However, Al Sayed highlighted that the Arab prize winners and nominated complemented each other and all contributed to the emergence of new names and many more creative authors.
Additionally, Algerian Novelist Waciny Laredj spoke about the importance of the Arabic Novel Prize and what it contributed, especially the Katara Prize for Arabic Novel, emphasizing that the prize highlighted them by making it public, saying that the writer should redouble their efforts and not mind the Prizes’ results and outcomes.
He also called on young people to apply for the prize, not as contestants but as writers, as the prize might add some fame to it but not to its literary level, and that the writer only care for self-development because the fittest and most beautiful remains.
He added that the prize has many positives, the most important of which was the creation of the spirit of competition among novelists, therefore contributing to the development of the Arab narrative techniques.
Secondly, Omani writer and recent winner of the Arabic Booker Prize Zahran Alqasmi spoke about his experience with the novel, especially after winning the Arabic Booker Prize for his novel ‘The Water Diviner’ (2021), saying that he was not intending to be nominated bur rather the publishing house nominated him for the prize.
Additionally, he said that he doesn’t target a particular person in his writing, but rather everyone, and it matters to him to be faithful to the text only when he writes, and so then the writer only matters to the reader. Pointing out that when the judging criteria are clear, the writers are better, and when the judges are knowledgeable and experienced they may be able to judge from the first chapters of the novel.
Moreover, he spoke about his poetry-writing experience that extended for years and resulted in several collections of poetry, meaning that novel writing came afterwards with his first novel in 2013 when he wrote a manuscript novel, the novel ‘Mountain of the Horseradish Tree’ (2013), which was widely accepted by friends, then came The Sniper (2014), and afterwards he wrote ‘Hunger for Honey’ (2017), although concluding that he was still passionate about poetry.
Source: Qatar News Agency
