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Iraqi novelist, poet and screenwriter scoops the prize
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Featured in the Beirut 39 Festival as one of the best
39 Arab authors under 40
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A modern novel which explores the reality of violence
in Iraq and the wider world today
Frankenstein in Baghdad by Ahmed Saadawi
was
tonight, Tuesday 29 April 2014, announced as the winner of the seventh
International Prize for Arabic Fiction.
Saadawi was named by this
year’s Chair of Judges, Saad A. Albazei, at a ceremony in Abu Dhabi. In
addition to winning $50,000, Ahmed Saadawi is guaranteed an English
translation of his novel, as well as increased book sales and international
recognition.
Set in the
spring of 2005, Frankenstein in Baghdad tells the story of Hadi
al-Attag, a rag-and-bone man who lives in a populous district of Baghdad. He
takes the body parts of those killed in explosions and sews them together to
create a new body. The body is entered by a displaced soul, bringing it to
life. Hadi calls the being ‘the-what's-its-name,’ while the authorities name it
‘Criminal X’ and others refer to it as ‘Frankenstein’. Frankenstein begins a
campaign of revenge against those who killed him, or killed those whose parts
make up his body.
Ahmed Saadawi is an Iraqi novelist, poet
and screenwriter. Born in 1973 in Baghdad, where he works as a documentary film
maker, he took part in the annual IPAF ‘Nadwa’ or literary workshop for promising
young writers in 2012.
Frankenstein in Baghdad was selected as the
best work of fiction published within the last 12 months, selected from 156
entries from 18 countries across the Arab World. On behalf of the 2014 judging
panel, Saad A. Albazei comments:
‘We chose Frankenstein in
Baghdad for several reasons. Firstly for the originality of its narrative
structure, as represented in the 'what's-its-name' character, who embodies the
violence currently experienced in Iraq, other Arab countries and the wider world. The
story is expertly told on several levels and from multiple viewpoints.
‘For these reasons and more, Frankenstein
in Baghdad is a significant addition to contemporary Arabic fiction.’
The five other shortlisted
finalists were also honoured at the ceremony alongside the winner; each of the
finalists, including the winner, receives $10,000.
The
Prize is supported by the Booker Prize Foundation in London and funded by the
TCA Abu Dhabi in the UAE.
Professor of Modern Arabic Studies Yasir Suleiman,
Chair of the Board of IPAF Trustees, comments: ‘Ahmed
Saadawi's Frankenstein in Baghdad is an outstanding achievement, teeming
with characters who are both earthy and real but also transcend reality. It
raises questions about an oppressive legacy from which neither individuals nor
society can escape. The novel dazzles with
captivating storytelling, utilising the techniques of magical realism to reveal
the depths of the human soul in its darkest hours. Although set in Baghdad, its
subject matter goes beyond that city to embrace humanity everywhere.’
To date, six of the seven
winning IPAF novels have secured deals for publication in English. Overall,
winning and shortlisted books since 2008 have been translated into over 20
languages.
For further information about
the Prize, please visit www.arabicfiction.org or follow the
Prize on Facebook.
THE WINNER
Ahmed Saadawi is an Iraqi novelist, poet and screenwriter, born in 1973 in Baghdad,
where he works as a documentary film maker. He is the author of a volume of
poetry, Festival of Bad Songs (2000), and three novels, The Beautiful
Country (2004), He Dreams or Plays or Dies (2008) and Frankenstein
in Baghdad (2013). He has won several prizes and in 2010 was selected for
the Beirut39 Festival, as one of the 39 best Arab authors below the age of 40.
He took part in the annual IPAF ‘Nadwa’, or literary workshop for promising
young writers, in 2012.
ABU DHABI INTERNATIONAL BOOK FAIR
The 2014 winner announcement took place on the eve of
the Abu Dhabi International Book Fair 2014. Ahmed Saadawi will take part in his
first public event at the book fair on Wednesday 30 April:
Further information on the above events, as well as
additional events at the fair, can be found on the book fair’s website: www.adbookfair.com
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