The Department of Culture and Tourism – Abu Dhabi (DCT Abu Dhabi) has announced the Sheikh Zayed Book Award (SZBA) longlists in the ‘Contribution to the Development of Nations’ and ‘Literary and Art Criticism’ categories for the Award’s 15th edition (2020-2021), which collectively received 461 submissions from various Arab countries.
This year, the ‘Development of Nations’ category received 262 submissions, representing 11 percent of all submissions across the categories. Eight titles have been selected for the longlist from six Arab countries, namely the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Morocco, Jordan and Tunisia. The longlisted titles are:
Al Ghuus bu Sab’at Arzaag (Diving: A Rich Source of Livelihoods) by Emirati writer Ahmad Mohammed bin Thani, published by Austin Macauley Publishers in 2019
Al Intiqal ela al Demokratiyya: Matha Yastafeed al Arab men Tajareb al ‘Akhareen (Transitioning to Democracy: What Can Arabs Learn from Others’ Experiences?) by Egyptian writer Dr. Ali Eldin Hillal, published by National Council for Culture, Arts and Literature in 2019
Bint Sheikh al Erbaan (Daughter of the Bedouin’s Chief) by the Egyptian writer Miral Al-Tahawy, published by ElAin Publishing in 2020
Surat al Mar’a fi Rahalaat al Gharbiyyeen ela Wasat al Jazira al Arabiyya Munthu Matla’ al Qarn al Tasi’ ‘Ashar ela Muntasaf al Qarn al ‘Ishreen (The Image of Women as Viewed by Western Travellers in Central Arabia from the Early 19th Century to the Middle of the 20th Century) by Saudi writer Dalal Bint Mukhlid Alharbi, published by King Faisal Center for Research and Islamic Studies in 2020
Min Agil E’adat Tashgheel al ‘Aql al Tareekhi al Arabi (In Order to Reignite the Arab Historical Mind) by Tunisian researcher Dr. Mokhtar Fejjari, published by Manchurat Al Tarikhiya Al Islamiya in 2020
Mawqe’ Saruuq al Hadeed al Athari fi Imarat Dubayy, Sura men Hadarat al Alf al Awwal Qabl al Milad (Dubai’s Archaeological Site of Saruq Al-Hadid, an Image from the Civilisation of the First Millennium BC) by Jordanian researcher Dr. Rafi Mhimeed Harahsheh, published by Dar Ward Publishing & Distribution in 2019
(Al Nass al Deeni – Al Ensaan) Al Qur’an wa Maheyyat al Taghyeer (The Quran and the Essence of Change (The Religious Script – The Human)) by Moroccan researcher Dr. Idriss Hammadi, published by Editions Ibn Nadim Publishing & Distribution with Dar Rawafed in 2020
Turath al Este’laa baynal Folklore wal Majal al Deeni (Legacy of Supremacy between Folklore and Religion) by Egyptian researcher Saeed El-Masry, published by Batana Publishing & Distribution in 2019
The 15th Sheikh Zayed Book Award’s longlist in ‘Literary and Art Criticism’ category consists of 10 titles, selected from 199 submissions, representing 8 percent of all submissions across categories, by authors from Iraq, Tunisia, Jordan and Morocco. The longlisted titles are:
Khatt al Mushaf al Shareef w Tatawwuruhu fil ‘Asr al Islami (The Holy Quran Calligraphy and its Development in the Islamic Era) by Iraqi writer Dr. Abdulazeez Hameed Salih, published by Dar Al Kotob All Ilmiyah in 2020
Khitab al Umthula, Hewar al Fikr wal Sulta – Muqarabatun Tadawuleyya Ma’refeyya (A Parable Discourse, the Dialogue of Thought and Authority – a Deliberative Cognitive Approach) by Moroccan writer Said Jebbar, published by Kunouz Al-Ma’refa Publishers in 2019
Surat Baghdad al Iftiradiyya fil Mekhyal al Yahoodi al ‘Iraqi – Dirasa fi Tamathulat Surood al Fadaa’ al Tareekhi fil Munjaz al Fanni – Al Aflaam wal Lawhaat wal Musiqa (The Virtual Image of Baghdad in the Iraqi Jewish Imagination – A Study in the Manifestation of Historical Narratives in the Artistic Work of Films, Paintings and Music) by Iraqi writer Dr. Khalidah Hatem Alwan, published by Dar Adnan Library Publishing and Distribution in 2019
Al Wi’am al Deeni fil Adab (Religious Harmony in Literature) by Jordanian writer Rashid Issa, published by Dar Khotot W Thelal in 2020
Cinoghrafia al ‘Ard al Masrahi – Sakanun li Jasad al Mumathel am Safar (Scenography of the Theatrical Performance: An Accommodation for the Actor’s Body or a State of Travel?) by Tunisian writer Dr. Mohamed Hedi Farhani, published by Faculté des Lettres et des Sciences Humaines de Kairouanin in 2019
Masar al Tahdeeth fil Funoon al Tashkeeliyya: Min al Ursumati ela al Lawha (The Path of Modernisation in the Visual Arts. From Drawing to Painting) by Tunisian writer Khelil Gouia, published by Med Ali Éditions in 2020
Ayqunat: Buhooth Simya’iyyat al Ansaq al Basariyya (Icons: Research in the Semiotics of Visual Layouts) by Tunisian writer Dr. Ahmed Gasmi, published by La Maison Tunisienne Du Livre in 2019
Al Sura bayn al Khafa’ wal Tajalli inda Muhyiddine bin Arabi (The Image Between Invisibility and Transfiguration According to Mohieddin Ibn-Arabi) by Moroccan writer Ahmed Kaza, published by Mominoun Without Borders Publishing and Distribution in 2018
Al Mutakhayyal al Sardi al Arabi: Dirasa fi Binyat wa Waza’if al Aja’ebeyy (The Arabic Narrative Imagination: A Study of the Structures and Functions of Fantastic Literature) by Moroccan writer Mostafa Ennahhal, published by Roueya Publishing & Distribution in 2020
Akhlaqiyyat al Ta’weel: Min Antologia An-Nass ela Antologia al Fehm (The Ethics of Interpretation: From the Ontology of the Script to the Ontology of Comprehension) by the Moroccan writer Mohamed El-Hirech, published by La Virgule Librairie et Papeterie in 2019
The Sheikh Zayed Book Award will announce the longlists for its other categories over the coming weeks.
