2026 IPAF Shortlist Celebrates the Diversity and Questions of Arabic Narrative
The International Prize for Arabic Fiction (IPAF) has announced the shortlist for its 19th edition, revealing six novels that reflect a wide spectrum of narrative experimentation and literary inquiry. The shortlisted works are The Origin of Species by Ahmad Abdulatif, Siesta Dream by Amin Zaoui, A Cloud Above My Head by Doaa Ibrahim, I Resist the River’s Course by Said Khatibi, The Seer by Diaa Jubaili, and The Absence of Mai by Najwa Barakat.
The shortlist highlights a striking geographical and generational diversity, bringing together authors from four Arab countries, Algeria, Iraq, Lebanon and Egypt, whose ages range from 37 to 69. This diversity extends beyond background to encompass themes and narrative approaches, from deep psychological excavation to probing contemporary Arab realities, and from revisiting history as a living, reinterpreted text to questioning shifting identities in the present moment. This year’s shortlist also marks the first appearance of three authors at this stage of the prize, alongside writers with an established history in previous editions, creating a balance between emerging voices and accumulated narrative experience.
Commenting on the shortlist, Mohamed Elkadhi, Chair of the 2026 judging panel, noted that the selected novels combine intellectual and human depth with stylistic sophistication, moving away from overt didacticism towards narratives that trust the reader’s sensibility. He observed that these works invite readers to become active partners in the production of meaning, reflecting the maturity the Arabic novel has reached through its openness to contemporary concerns and its expanding range of narrative forms.
Professor Yasir Suleiman, Chair of the Board of Trustees, emphasised the remarkable development of the Arabic novel over recent decades, describing it as a literature that has advanced through its own internal dynamism while remaining connected to world literature in both form and thematic preoccupations. He added that the shortlisted novels capture multiple intersections, between past and present, familiarity and estrangement, revealing continuity rather than rupture, and engaging readers through interior voices and diverse narrative perspectives that resonate with audiences in Arabic and in translation alike.
The winner of the 19th International Prize for Arabic Fiction will be announced on Thursday, 9 April 2026, at a ceremony in Abu Dhabi, which will also be streamed online. The prize, sponsored by the Abu Dhabi Arabic Language Centre at the Department of Culture and Tourism – Abu Dhabi, awards $50,000 to the winning novel, affirming its role as a leading platform for celebrating excellence in contemporary Arabic fiction and supporting its global reach through translation.
