The 2025 Longlist of the International Prize for Arabic Fiction (IPAF) has been announcement revealing diverse voices from across the Arabic-speaking world. Nominated from a field of 124 submissions, the 16 novels span a spectrum of themes and genres, from the historical to the topical to the fantastical. Featured authors include previous nominees Rashid al-Daif (What Zeina Saw and What She Didn’t), Sausan Jamil Hasan (Heiress of the Keys) and Taissier Khalaf (The Andalusian Messiah), in addition to Azher Jirjees (The Valley of the Butterflies).
The other 12 authors, debuting for the first time, provide new voices and different perspectives. They are Aqeel Almusawi (The Weepers), Inam Bioud (Houwariya), Ahmed Fal Al Din (Danshmand), Jan Dost (The French Prisoner), Iman Humaydan (Songs for the Darkness), Hasan Kamal (The Stolen Novel), Ahmed Al-Malawany (Happy Dreams), Mohamed Samir Nada (The Prayer of Anxiety), Nadia Najar (The Touch of Light), Haneen Al-Sayegh (The Women’s Charter), Sumar Shihada (My Life Has Just Begun) and Ayman Ragab Taher (The Lamplighter).
The novels examine personal and collective struggles; they address women’s rights, sectarianism, historical events and dystopian societies. We move, from 1980s Bahrain and pre-revolution Syria, to Andalusia’s Morisco phase, meeting historical characters and invented realities.
Mona Baker, the chair of the judges, lauded the list for its thematic and stylistic diversity and for capturing issues of oppression, identity and resilience. Its examination of past and present struggles only serves to reiterate the vitality of Arab literature, as Chair of the Board of Trustees, Yasir Suleiman remarked.
Sponsored by the Abu Dhabi Arabic Language Centre, IPAF comes with a $50,000 cash prize for the winning author, who gains international recognition in the form of the arabic fiction prize and helps build global appreciation for Arabic fiction.
