Banipal Prize for Arabic Literary Translation

Banipal Prize for Arabic Literary Translation
The Banipal Prize, whose full name is the Saif Ghobash–Banipal Prize for Arabic Literary Translation, is an annual prize awarded to a translator (or translators) for the published English translation of a full-length literary work in the Arabic language. The prize was inaugurated in 2006 by the literary magazine Banipal which promotes the diffusion of contemporary Arabic literature through English translations and the Banipal Trust for Arab Literature. It is administered by the Society of Authors in the UK (which runs a number of similar literary translation prizes), and the prize money is sponsored by Omar Saif Ghobash and his family in memory of Ghobash's late father Saif Ghobash. As of 2009, the prize money amounted to £3000.
Winners and nominees
= winner
2006
Humphrey Davies: Gate of the Sun by Elias Khoury
Hala Halim: Clamor of the Lake by Mohamed el-Bisatie
Paul Starkey: Stones of Bobello by Edwar al-Kharrat
Judges: Moris Farhi, Maya Jaggi, Roger Allen
2007
Farouk Mustafa (pen-name Farouk Abdel Wahab): The Lodging House by Khairy Shalaby
Marilyn Booth: Thieves in Retirement by Hamdi Abu Golayyel
Peter Theroux: Saraya, The Ogre’s Daughter by Emile Habiby
Judges: Moris Farhi, Maya Jaggi, Roger Allen
2008
Fady Joudah: The Butterfly’s Burden by Mahmoud Darwish
Ghassan Nasr: The Journals of Sarab Affan by Jabra Ibrahim Jabra
Nancy Roberts: The Man from Bashmour by Salwa Bakr
Judges: Marilyn Booth, Aamer Hussein, Bill Swainson, Roger Allen
2009
Samah Selim: The Collar and the Bracelet by Yahya Taher Abdullah
Michelle Hartman: Wild Mulberries by Iman Humaydan Younes
Elliott Colla: Gold Dust by Ibrahim al-Koni
Judges: Francine Stock, Aamer Hussein, Marilyn Booth, Roger Allen
2010
Source:
Humphrey Davies: Yalo by Elias Khoury
Humphrey Davies: Sunset Oasis by Bahaa Taher
Kareem James Abu-Zeid: Cities without Palms by Tarek Etayeb
Judges: Margaret Drabble, Susan Bassnett, Elliott Colla, Yasir Suleiman
2011
Source:
Khaled Mattawa: Selected Poems by Adonis
Barbara Romaine: Spectres by Radwa Ashour
Maia Tabet: White Masks by Elias Khoury
Judges: Sarah Churchwell, Joan Smith, Christina Phillips, Samuel Shimon
2012
Source:
Roger Allen: A Muslim Suicide by Bensalem Himmich
Humphrey Davies: I Was Born There, I Was Born Here by Mourid Barghouti
Judges: Ruth Padel, Esther Freud, Fadhil al-Azzawi, John Peate
2013
Source:
Jonathan Wright: Azazeel by Youssef Ziedan
William Maynard Hutchins: A Land Without Jasmine by Wajdi al-Ahdal
Judges: Humphrey Davies, Hassan Abdulrazzak, Rajeev Balasubramanyam, Meike Ziervogel
2014
Source:
Sinan Antoon: The Corpse Washer by Sinan Antoon
Paula Haydar: June Rain by Jabbour Douaihy
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:
Paul Starkey for The Book of the Sultan's Seal: Strange Incidents from History in the City of Mars by Youssef Rakha
Land of No Rain by Amjad Nasser, trans. Jonathan Wright
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 Lu‘lu‘a (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:
Robin Moger for The Book of Safety by Yasser Abdel Hafez
The Dove's Necklace by Raja Alem, trans. Katharine Halls and Adam Talib (Duckworth)
No Knives in the Kitchens of This City by Khaled Khalifa, trans. Leri Price (Hoopoe)
Limbo Beirut by Hilal Chouman, trans. Anna Ziajka Stanton (Center for Middle Eastern Studies, Univ. Texas Press)
Judges: Alastair Niven, Peter Kalu, Wen-chin Ouyang, Salam Sarhan.
2018
Source:
The President's Gardens by Muhsin Al-Ramli, tr. Luke Leafgren (MacLehose Press/Quercus)
Concerto al-Quds by Adonis, tr. Khaled Mattawa (Yale University Press)
Frankenstein in Baghdad by Ahmed Saadawi, tr. Jonathan Wright (Oneworld)
Using Life by Ahmed Naji, tr. Ben Koerber (CMES Publications, UT Austin)
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:
Death is Hard Work by Khaled Khalifa, translated by Leri Price (Faber & Faber)
Celestial Bodies by Jokha Alharthi, translated by Marilyn Booth (Sandstone Press)
My Name is Adam: Children of the Ghetto Volume 1 by Elias Khoury, translated by Humphrey Davies (MacLehose Press)
Jokes for the Gunman by Mazen Maarouf, translated by Jonathan Wright (Granta Books)
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.
Voices of the Lost by Hoda Barakat (Oneworld) translated by Marilyn Booth [Lebanon]
The Girl with Braided Hair by Rasha Adly (Hoopoe Fiction), translated by Sarah Enany [Egypt]
A Bed for the King’s Daughter by Shahla Ujayli (Center for Middle Eastern Studies/University of Texas Press), translated by Sawad Hussain (Syria)\
The Frightened Ones by Dima Wannous (Harvill Secker), translated by Elisabeth Jaquette (Syria)
God99 by Hassan Blasim (Comma Press), translated by Jonathan Wright
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.
(joint winner) Mohamed Kheir, Slipping (Two Lines Press, 2018) translated by Robin Moger [Egypt]
(joint winner) Hamdi Abu Golayyel, The Men Who Swallowed the Sun (American University in Cairo/Hoopoe Books) translated by Humphrey Davies [Egypt]
Yassin Adnan, Hot Maroc (Syracuse University Press) translated by Alexander E. Elinson [Morocco]
See also
Scott Moncrieff Prize
List of Arabic-English translators
The Banipal Prize – official website
References
Arabic literary awards
Society of Authors awards
Translation awards
Awards established in 2006
2006 establishments in the United Kingdom