The Banipal Prize, officially the Saif GhobashâÂÂBanipal Prize for Arabic Literary Translation, is an annual award presented to a translator (or translators) for the published English translation of a full-length literary work in Arabic.
The prize was established in 2006 by the literary magazine Banipal, which promotes the dissemination of contemporary Arabic literature through English translations, alongside the Banipal Trust for Arab Literature. It is administered by the Society of Authors in the UK, which also oversees several other literary translation prizes.
The prize is sponsored by Lioudmila Ghobash, Saeed Saif Ghobash and Maysoune Saif Ghobash in memory of HE the Late Saif Ghobash.
Winners and nominees
= winner
2006
Judges: Moris Farhi, Maya Jaggi, Roger Allen
2007
Judges: Moris Farhi, Maya Jaggi, Roger Allen
2008
Judges: Marilyn Booth, Aamer Hussein, Bill Swainson, Roger Allen
2009
Judges: Francine Stock, Aamer Hussein, Marilyn Booth, Roger Allen
2010
Source:
Judges: Margaret Drabble, Susan Bassnett, Elliott Colla, Yasir Suleiman
2011
Source:
Judges: Sarah Churchwell, Joan Smith, Christina Phillips, Samuel Shimon
2012
Source:
Judges: Ruth Padel, Esther Freud, Fadhil al-Azzawi, John Peate
2013
Source:
Judges: Humphrey Davies, Hassan Abdulrazzak, Rajeev Balasubramanyam, Meike Ziervogel
2014
Source:
Longlist
- The Mehlis Report by Rabee Jaber, trans. Kareem James Abu-Zeid (New Directions)
- The Arch and the Butterfly by Mohammed Achaari, trans. Aida Bamia (Bloomsbury Qatar Foundation Publishing)
- Private Pleasures by Hamdy El-Gazzar, trans. Humphrey Davies (AUC Press)
- Ben Barka Lane by Mahmoud Saeed, trans. Kay Heikkinen (Interlink Publishing Co.)
- Other Lives by Iman Humaydan, trans. Michelle Hartman (Interlink Books)
- Throwing Sparks by Abdo Khal, trans. Maia Tabet and Michael K. Scott (Bloomsbury Qatar Foundation Publishing)
- That Smell by Sonallah Ibrahim, trans. Robyn Creswell (New Directions)
- House of the Wolf by Ezzat El Kamhawi, trans. Nancy Roberts (AUC Press)
- New Waw by Ibrahim al-Koni, trans. William M. Hutchins (University of Texas Press)
- Moon and Henna Tree by Ahmed Toufiq, trans. Roger Allen (University of Texas Press)
- The Bridges of Constantine by Ahlem Mosteghanemi, trans. Raphael Cohen (translator) (Bloomsbury)
- Earth Weeps, Saturn Laughs by Abdulaziz al Farsi, trans. Nancy Roberts (AUC Press)
- Gertrude by Hassan Najmi, trans. Roger Allen (Interlink Books)
- Status Emo by Eslam Mosbah, trans. Raphael Cohen (translator) (AUC Press)
- The Silence and the Roar by Nihad Sirees, trans. Max Weiss (Pushkin Press)
Judges: Paul Blezard-Gymer, Lulu Norman, Samuel Shimon, Jonathan Wright
2015
Source:
Longlist
- Stealth by Sonallah Ibrahim, trans. Hosam Aboul-Ela (New Directions, USA)
- The Penguin's Song by Hassan Daoud, trans. Marilyn Booth (City Lights Publishers, USA)
- African Titanics by Abu Bakr Khaal, trans. Charis Bredin (Darf Publishers, UK)
- Butterfly Wings by Mohamed Salmawy, trans. Raphael Cohen (The American University in Cairo Press, Egypt/USA)
- Fullblood Arabian by Osama Alomar, trans. C.J. Collins (New Directions, USA)
- The Broken Mirrors: Sinalcol by Elias Khoury, trans. Humphrey Davies (Maclehose Press, UK)
- Diary of a Jewish Muslim by Kamal Ruhayyim, trans. Sarah Enany (The AUC Press, Egypt/USA)
- Who's Afraid of Meryl Streep by Rashid Al-Daif, trans. Paula Haydar and Nadine Sinno (Centre for Middle Eastern Studies, University of Texas at Austin, USA)
- French Perfume by Amir Tag Elsir, trans. William M. Hutchins (Antibookclub, USA)
- Nothing More to Lose by Najwan Darwish, poetry trans. Kareem James Abu-Zeid (NY Books, USA)
- The Iraqi Nights by Dunya Mikhail, poetry trans. Kareem James Abu-Zeid (New Directions, USA)
- The Woman from Tantoura by Radwa Ashour, trans. Kay Heikkinen (The AUC Press, Egypt/USA)
- Dates on my Fingers by Muhshin al-Ramli, trans. Luke Leafgren (The AUC Press, Egypt/USA)
- Oh, Salaam! by Najwa Barakat, trans. Luke Leafgren (Interlink, USA)
- Where Pigeons Don't Fly by Yousef Al-Mohaimeed, trans. Robin Moger (Bloomsbury Qatar Foundation Publishing)
- Women of Karantina by Nael Eltoukhy, trans. Robin Moger (The AUC Press, Egypt/USA)
- The Crocodiles by Youssef Rakha, trans. Robin Moger (Seven Stories Press, USA)
- Days of Ignorance by Laila Aljohani, trans. Nancy Roberts (Bloomsbury, UK/USA)
- Chaos of the Senses by Ahlem Mosteghanemi, trans. Nancy Roberts (Bloomsbury)
- The Lanterns of the King of Galilee by Ibrahim Nasrallah, trans. Nancy Roberts (The AUC Press, Egypt/USA)
- Blue Lorries by Radwa Ashour, trans. Barbara Romaine (Bloomsbury Qatar Foundation Publishing)
- Beirut, Beirut by Sonallah Ibrahim, trans. Chip Rossetti (Bloomsbury Qatar Foundation Publishing)
- The Book of the Sultan's Seal by Youssef Rakha, trans. Paul Starkey (Interlink, USA)
- Monarch of the Square: an Anthology of Mohamed Zafzaf's Short Stories by Mohamed Zafzaf, trans. Mbarek Sryfi and Roger Allen (Syracuse University Press, USA)
- The Chronicles of Majnun Layla and Selected Poems by Qassim Haddad, poetry trans. John Verlenden and Ferial Ghazoul (Syracuse University Press, USA)
- Rain Over Baghdad by Hala el Badry, trans. Farouk Abdel Wahab (The AUC Press, Egypt/USA)
- Land Of No Rain by Amjad Nasser, trans. Jonathan Wright (Bloomsbury Qatar Foundation Publishing)
- Temple Bar by Bahaa Abdelmegid, trans. Jonathan Wright (The AUC Press, Egypt/USA)
- Chewing Gum by Mansour Bushnaf, trans. Mona Zaki (Darf Publishers, UK)
Judges: Robin Ostle, Samira Kawar, Alastair Niven, Susannah Tarbush.
2016
Source:
- Jonathan Wright for his translation of the novel The Bamboo Stalk by Saud Alsanousi
Longlist
- Confessions by Rabee Jaber, trans. Kareem James Abu-Zeid (New Directions, USA)
- The Bride of Amman by Fadi Zaghmout, trans. Ruth Ahmedzai Kemp (Signal 8 Press, Hong Kong)
- Desert Sorrows by Tayseer al-Sboul, trans. Nesreen Akhtarkhavari and Anthony A Lee (Michigan State University Press, USA)
- My Torturess by Bensalem Himmich, trans. Roger Allen (Syracuse University Press, USA)
- Hurma by Ali al-Muqri, trans. T M Aplin (Darf Publishers, UK)
- Ebola '76 by Amir Tag Elsir, trans. Charis Bredin and Emily Danby (Darf Publishers, UK)
- 32 by Sahar Mandour, trans. Nicole Fares (Syracuse University Press, USA)
- The Automobile Club of Egypt by Alaa Al Aswany, trans. Russell Harris (Canongate, UK)
- Ali and his Russian Mother by Alexandra Chreiteh, trans. Michelle Hartman (Interlink Publishing, USA)
- Telepathy by Amir Tag Elsir, trans. William M Hutchins (Bloomsbury Qatar Foundation Publishing, Qatar)
- The Scarecrow by Ibrahim al-Koni, trans. William M Hutchins (CMES, University of Texas at Austin, USA)
- A Portal in Space by Mahmoud Saeed, trans. William M Hutchins (CMES, University of Texas at Austin, USA)
- All Faces but Mine by Samih al-Qasim, trans. Abdulwahid LuâÂÂluâÂÂa (Syracuse University Press, USA)
- Mortal Designs by Reem Bassiouney, trans. Melanie Magidow (AUC Press, Egypt/USA)
- The Dust of Promises by Ahlem Mostaghanemi, trans. Nancy Roberts (Bloomsbury Publishing, UK)
- Whitefly by Abdelilah Hamdouchi, trans. Jonathan Smolin (Hoopoe Fiction, Egypt/USA)
- The Holy Sail by Abdulaziz al-Mahmoud, trans. Karim Traboulsi (Bloomsbury Qatar Foundation Publishing, Qatar)
- The Bamboo Stalk by Saud Alsanousi, trans. Jonathan Wright (Bloomsbury Qatar Foundation Publishing, Qatar)
- The Televangelist by Ibrahim Essa, trans. Jonathan Wright (Hoopoe Fiction, Egypt/USA)
Judges: Paul Starkey, Lucy Popescu, Zahia Smail Salhi, Bill Swainson,
2017
Source:
Judges: Alastair Niven, Peter Kalu, Wen-chin Ouyang, Salam Sarhan.
2018
Source:
Longlist
- In Jerusalem and Other Poems by Tamim al-Barghouti, translated by Radwa Ashour, Tamim al-Barghouti, Ahdaf Soueif (Interlink Books)
- No Road to Paradise by Hassan Daoud, translated by Marilyn Booth (Hoopoe Fiction, AUC Press)
- Divine Names by Luay Abdul-Ilah, translated by Judy Cumberbatch (Mira Publishing)
- Hend and the Soldiers by Badriah Albeshr, translated by Sanna Dhahir (CMES Publications, Univ Texas at Austin)
- The American Quarter by Jabbour Douaihy, translated by Paula Haydar (Interlink Books)
- The Apartment in Bab el-Louk by Donia Maher (with illustrations by Ganzeer and Ahmad Nady), translated by Elisabeth Jaquette (Darf Publishers)
- Suslov's Daughter by Habib Abdulrab Sarori, translated by Elisabeth Jaquette (Darf Publishers)
- Tales of Yusuf Tadrus by Adel Esmat, translated by Mandy McClure (AUC Press)
- All The Battles by Maan Abu Taleb, translated by Robin Moger (Hoopoe Fiction, AUC Press)
- Embrace on Brooklyn Bridge by Ezzedine C. Fishere, translated by John Peate (AUC Press)
- Gaza Weddings by Ibrahim Nasrallah, translated by Nancy Roberts (Hoopoe Fiction, AUC Press)
- Farewell, Damascus by Ghada Samman, translated by Nancy Roberts (Darf Publishers)
- Bled Dry by Abdelilah Hamdouchi, translated by Benjamin Smith (Hoopoe Fiction, AUC Press)
- The Blueness of the Evening: Selected Poems of Hassan Najmi by Hassan Najmi, translated by Mbarek Sryfi and Eric Sellin (University of Arkansas Press)
- Fractured Destinies by Rabai al-Madhoun, translated by Paul Starkey (Hoopoe Fiction, AUC Press)
- The Baghdad Eucharist by Sinan Antoon, translated by Maia Tabet (Hoopoe Fiction, AUC Press)
Judges: Pete Ayrton, Georgia de Chamberet, Fadia Faqir and Sophia Vasalou.
2019
Source:
Judges: Ghazi Gheblawi (chair), Dr Jan Fortune, Abla Oudeh, Catherine Taylor.
2021
The shortlist was announced on 24 November 2021. The jury consisted of Roger Allen (Chair), Rosemarie Hudson, Ronak Hosni, and Caroline McCormick. The winner was announced on 12 January 2022.
2022
The shortlist was announced on 1 December 2022. The jury consisted of Charis Olszok (chair), Susheila Nasta, Katharine Halls, and Becki Maddock. The winners were announced on 12 January 2023.
2023
The shortlist was announced on 1 December 2023, with the jury consisting of Ros Schwartz (chair), Tony Calderbank, Sarah Enany, and Barbara Schwepcke.
- Najwa Barakat, Mister N (And Other Stories, 2022) translated by Luke Leafgren [Lebanon]
- Sonallah Ibrahim, The Turban and the Hat (Seagull Books, 2022) translated by Bruce Fudge [Egypt]
- Jabbour Douaihy, Firefly (Seagull Books, 2022) translated by Paula Haydar and Nadine Sinno [Lebanon]
- Jabbour Douaihy, The King of India (Interlink Books, 2022) translated by Paula Haydar [Lebanon]
- Bushra al-Maqtari, What Have You Left Behind? (Fitzcarraldo Editions, 2022) translated by Sawad Hussain [Yemen]
- Sonia Nimr, Thunderbird (University of Texas Press, 2022) translated by M Lynx Qualey [Palestine]
2024
Source:
- Before the Queen Falls Asleep by Huzama Habayeb, translated by Kay Heikkinen, published by MacLehose Press, 2024
- EdoâÂÂs Souls by Stella Gaitano, translated by Sawad Hussain, published by Dedalus, 2023
- Lost in Mecca by Bothayna Al-Essa, translated by Nada Faris, published by Dar Arab for Publishing and Translation, 2024
- Rotten Evidence by Ahmed Naji, translated by Katharine Halls, published by McSweeneyâÂÂs, 2023
- Traces of Enayat by Iman Mersal, translated by Robin Moger, published by And Other Stories, 2023
- Yoghurt and Jam (or How My Mother Became Lebanese) by Lena Merhej, translated by Nadiyah Abdullatif and Anam Zafar, published by Balestier Press, 2023
See also
References