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.^[1] 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

• Humphrey Davies: Yalo by Elias Khoury^[2][3]
• 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

• Khaled Mattawa: Selected Poems by Adonis^[4][5][6]
• Barbara Romaine: Spectres by Radwa Ashour
• Maia Tabet: White Masks by Elias Khoury

Judges: Sarah Churchwell, Joan Smith, Christina Phillips, Samuel Shimon

2012

• Roger Allen: A Muslim Suicide by Bensalem Himmich^[7]
• Humphrey Davies: I Was Born There, I Was Born Here by Mourid Barghouti

Judges: Ruth Padel, Esther Freud, Fadhil al-Azzawi, John Peate

2013

• Jonathan Wright: Azazeel by Youssef Ziedan^[8][9]
• William Maynard Hutchins: A Land Without Jasmine by Wajdi al-Ahdal

Judges: Humphrey Davies, Hassan Abdulrazzak, Rajeev Balasubramanyam, Meike Ziervogel

2014

• Sinan Antoon: The Corpse Washer by Sinan Antoon^[10][11]
• Paula Haydar: June Rain by Jabbour Douaihy

Judges: Paul Blezard-Gymer, Lulu Norman, Samuel Shimon, Jonathan Wright

2015

• Paul Starkey for his translation of the novel The Book of the Sultan's Seal: Strange Incidents from History in the City of Mars by Youssef Rakha^[12]

See also

• Scott Moncrieff Prize
• Arkansas Arabic Translation Award
• List of Arabic-English translators

References

1. "The Saif Ghobash – Banipal Prize for Arabic Literary Translation". The Banipal Trust for Arab Literature. Retrieved 5 May 2013.
2. Susannah Tarbush. "Two Arab novelists on the frontline in English". Saudi Gazette. Retrieved January 19, 2014.
3. "5th Winner of Saif Ghobash–Banipal Prize for Arabic Literary Translation Announced". Asia Writes. 24 February 2011. Retrieved January 19, 2014.
4. Adrian Tahourdin (6 February 2012). "Translation Prizes 2011". Times Literary Supplement. Retrieved January 19, 2014.
5. Benedicte Page (8 February 2012). "SoA makes Literature in Translation awards". The Bookseller. Retrieved January 19, 2014.
6. Lynx Qualey (January 31, 2012). "In other words: Spotlight on Banipal Prize awardee Barbara Romaine". Egypt Independent. Retrieved January 19, 2014.
7. Meris Lutz (January 17, 2013). "Roger Allen wins translation prize for 'A Muslim Suicide'". The Daily Star. Lebanon. Retrieved January 17, 2013.
8. "The 2013 Prize". Banipal Trust. January 19, 2014. Retrieved January 19, 2014.
9. Faizal Haque (January 19, 2014). "Wright and Hutchins win Banipal Prize for Arabic translation". Times of Oman. Retrieved January 19, 2014.
10. "The 2014 Prize". Banipal Trust. Retrieved February 28, 2015.
11. Adrian Tahourdin (February 27, 2015). "Abroad in English". Times Literary Supplement. Retrieved February 28, 2015.
12. 2015 Banipal Prize for Arabic Literary Translation winner Archived August 20, 2016, at the Wayback Machine.