rki.news | Sources Katara

DOHA, August 16: The Cultural Village Foundation (Katara) has announced the shortlist of nine works in each category for the 12th edition of the Katara Prize for Arabic Novel, with 45 novels and nine critical studies qualifying for the final stage of the prestigious literary competition.
The shortlisted categories include published novels, unpublished novels, unpublished young adult novels, unpublished historical novels, published Qatari novels and unpublished critical studies.
This year’s edition recorded a record 2,610 entries, the highest number since the award was launched in 2014.
The shortlist for Published Novels features writers from six Arab countries. Egypt leads with three novels, followed by Sudan with two, while Saudi Arabia, Algeria, Syria and Jordan each have one shortlisted novel.
The Unpublished Novels shortlist includes writers from eight Arab countries. Palestine leads with two novels, while Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Algeria, Yemen, Syria, Jordan and Tunisia each have one shortlisted work.
The Unpublished Young Adult Novels category features writers from four Arab countries. Egypt and Algeria lead with three novels each, followed by Morocco with two and Yemen with one.
The Unpublished Critical Studies shortlist includes critics from five Arab countries. Egypt and Morocco lead with three studies each, while Jordan, Palestine and Yemen each have one.
The Unpublished Historical Novels shortlist features writers from five Arab countries, with Egypt leading with five novels, followed by one novel each from Algeria, Morocco, Tunisia and Yemen.
In the Published Qatari Novel category, around 11 novels were submitted for this year’s competition, with one winner to be selected.
The names of the shortlisted writers, along with the titles of their novels and critical studies, have been published in alphabetical order on the official website of the Katara Prize for Arabic Novel.