British journalist and literary translator Jonathan Wright has won the Saif Ghobash Prize for Arabic Literary Translation for his translation of Saud Al Sanousi’s controversial novel The Bamboo Stalk, winner of the ‘International Prize for Arabic Fiction’ (IPAF) in 2013.
Launched in 2006, the GBP 3,000 prize is one of the most prestigious literary awards in its field. It is supervised by the Banipal Magazine, which has been published in London since 1998, with the aim of promoting Arabic literature through translation into English.
Published by Hamad bin Khalifa University Press in Qatar in 2016, the English translation of The Bamboo Stalk sold well in the USA, the UK, Australia and Canada.