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51364
Thu, 03/19/2009 - 14:18
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Sheikh Zayed Book Awards recognises seven winners
The Sheikh Zayed Book Awards were handed out last night at the Emirates Palace hotel according to a report by "The National,"
Sheikh Hamed bin Zayed, Chief of the Abu Dhabi Crown Prince’s Court, presented the awards to the recipients, who had been whittled down from a field of 620 nominations.
The awards are intended to recognise and reward significant achievements in Arabic culture and promote interest in Arab literature. They were established three years ago in memory of Sheikh Zayed, the founder of the nation.
The top award, for the cultural personality of the year, which includes a prize of Dh1 million (US$367,000), went to Pedro Martinez Montávez, a professor in Semitic philology at the University of Madrid who has worked to build bridges between his home country of Spain and the Arab world and has translated the works of many Arabic poets.
In a video message, Prof Montávez said: “To be nominated for this award is a great privilege.
“I’m certain that the personality of the late Sheikh Zayed is one of the personalities that will have an impact to the level of all the Arab world at large.”
In the literature category, Jamal al Ghitani of Egypt won for his novel, Ren; in fine arts, Maher Rady, from Egypt, for his book Thought of Light; and in translation, Sa’ad Abdulaziz Maslouh, also from Egypt, for his work Translation theory: contemporary trends.
In the contribution to the development of the country category, Dr Baqer Salman al Najjar, from Bahrain, won for The Strenuous Democracy in the Arabian Gulf; and in the young author category, Youcef Oghlici from Algeria, for the intricacy of terminology in the new Arab discourse.
Dar al Masriah al Lubniah was the best publishing and distribution house.
The winners of those categories each received Dh750,000. Organisers this year chose not to hand out awards in two categories: technology in the field of culture and children’s literature.
Rashed Saleh al Oraimi, secretary general of the awards, said: “The award is an attempt from this Arab country full of hope to recognise the authors facing challenges and looking forward to a more creative future. We are honouring in the people the idea of writing itself.”
Although Arabs account for at least five per cent of the world’s population, they only produce 1.1 per cent of books in publication, according to UNESCO.
The 2003 Arab Human Development Report said publishing in the Arab world has not yet reached its full potential. Many readers prefer books translated from other languages.
Sheikh Hamed bin Zayed, Chief of the Abu Dhabi Crown Prince’s Court, presented the awards to the recipients, who had been whittled down from a field of 620 nominations.
The awards are intended to recognise and reward significant achievements in Arabic culture and promote interest in Arab literature. They were established three years ago in memory of Sheikh Zayed, the founder of the nation.
The top award, for the cultural personality of the year, which includes a prize of Dh1 million (US$367,000), went to Pedro Martinez Montávez, a professor in Semitic philology at the University of Madrid who has worked to build bridges between his home country of Spain and the Arab world and has translated the works of many Arabic poets.
In a video message, Prof Montávez said: “To be nominated for this award is a great privilege.
“I’m certain that the personality of the late Sheikh Zayed is one of the personalities that will have an impact to the level of all the Arab world at large.”
In the literature category, Jamal al Ghitani of Egypt won for his novel, Ren; in fine arts, Maher Rady, from Egypt, for his book Thought of Light; and in translation, Sa’ad Abdulaziz Maslouh, also from Egypt, for his work Translation theory: contemporary trends.
In the contribution to the development of the country category, Dr Baqer Salman al Najjar, from Bahrain, won for The Strenuous Democracy in the Arabian Gulf; and in the young author category, Youcef Oghlici from Algeria, for the intricacy of terminology in the new Arab discourse.
Dar al Masriah al Lubniah was the best publishing and distribution house.
The winners of those categories each received Dh750,000. Organisers this year chose not to hand out awards in two categories: technology in the field of culture and children’s literature.
Rashed Saleh al Oraimi, secretary general of the awards, said: “The award is an attempt from this Arab country full of hope to recognise the authors facing challenges and looking forward to a more creative future. We are honouring in the people the idea of writing itself.”
Although Arabs account for at least five per cent of the world’s population, they only produce 1.1 per cent of books in publication, according to UNESCO.
The 2003 Arab Human Development Report said publishing in the Arab world has not yet reached its full potential. Many readers prefer books translated from other languages.
