The Prize
The Sponsor
The Judges
The Society of Authors
What They Say

The inaugural prize for published literary translation from Arabic into English was awarded on 9 October 2006. The prize, for the translation of a full-length imaginative and creative work of literary merit published in English, has the aim of raising the profile of contemporary Arabic literature as well as honouring the important work of individual translators in bringing the work of established and emerging Arab writers to the attention of the wider world.

It was established by Banipal, the magazine of modern Arab literature in English translation, and the Banipal Trust for Arab Literature.

The prize is administered by the Society of Authors in the United Kingdom and joins a number of translation prizes administered by the Society that are awarded annually at a ceremony hosted by the British Centre for Literary Translation and Arts Council England.

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The Banipal Prize for Arabic Literary Translation is sponsored by Omar Saif Ghobash in memory of his father and is known as The Saif Ghobash – Banipal Prize for Arabic Literary Translation.

Fom the United Arab Emirates, Saif Ghobash was passionate about the literature of the Arab world and the literatures of other countries. He loved the world of books, and had his own collection in many different languages which his family has inherited.

“A prize for people who are so dedicated to the power of literature and the power of translation seems so clearly something my father would have supported himself,” said Omar Saif Ghobash, adding: “When I spoke with the other members of our family, they supported the idea immediately – before I could finish my sentence! It is a small but fitting tribute to my father’s memory.”

The Banipal Prize for Arabic Literary Translation is in its early years and this sponsorship is an important development. The Trust looks forward to working keenly with both publishers and translators in the English-speaking world to both encourage and promote the wider translation of contemporary works of literature by Arab authors.

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There are three judges, plus a non-voting chair from the Banipal Trust.

The latter position is being taken, for 2008 and 2009, by the literary translator and academic Roger Allen, who joined the Banipal Trust's board of trustees at the beginning of this year after serving a judge for the first two years of the prize.

The selection of judges is made according to the following criteria: one is to be an author and/or literary translator from any language into English; one an English-language literary critic/editor and/or reviewer; and the third an experienced literary translator from Arabic into English. The judges for the 2008 prize are respectively Aamer Hussein, Bill Swainson and Marilyn Booth.
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The Society of Authors is the administrator of the prize. Founded in 1884 "to protect the rights and further the interests of authors", it has over 7,500 members. Its first president was Alfred Lord Tennyson. Among its members have been many prominent writers, including George Bernard Shaw, John Galsworthy, Thomas Hardy, H G Wells, J M Barrie, John Masefield, E M Forster, A P Herbert, and countless contemporary writers.

Other literary translation prizes administered by the Society are:

• Scott Moncrieff Prize for French Translation
• Hellenic Foundation for Culture Award for Greek Translation (triennial)
• Schlegel-Tieck Prize for German Translation
• Bernard Shaw Prize for Swedish Translation (triennial)
• Vondel Prize for Dutch Translation (biennial)
• Calouste Gulbenkian Prize for Portuguese Translation (triennial)
• Premio Valle Inclan for Spanish Translation
• John Florio Prize for Italian Translation (biennial)

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What they said about the inaugural prize, presented 9 October 2006 at the British Centre for Literary Translation, University of East Anglia, Norwich.

Winning the Banipal Prize represents for me, primarily, recognition of the novel itself. Gate of the Sun is a work of extraordinary strength that non-Arabic readers need to have available.
Inaugural prizewinner Humphrey Davies

The judges were unanimous in awarding the inaugural Banipal Prize for Arabic Literary Translation to Elias Khoury’s Gate of the Sun (Harvill Secker), translated by Humphrey Davies. The novel is a monumental achievement, whose translation by Humphrey Davies brilliantly captures the nuances and style of the original.
Maya Jaggi, Judge, Banipal Translation Prize 2006

What impressed me most was the natural poetry in the prose. This – the innate poetry bursting out from even prose writers – is, I think, is one of the great strengths of Arabic language and literature. Needless to say, to convey such delicate poetry to an English readership is also a great achievement by the translators. Elias Khoury's Gate of the Sun, which the judges unanimously declared the winner of the prize, is a haunting book on the Palestinian passion.
Moris Farhi, Judge, Banipal Translation Prize 2006

Gate of the Sun is such an outstanding work that almost anything else was going to have a problem – assuming, of course, that the translation itself is good. And in this case, it’s excellent.
Roger Allen, Judge, Banipal Translation Prize 2006

Since the award of the Nobel Prize for Literature to the late Naguib Mahfouz in 1988, the English-language reading world has been made aware that there is a rich store of contemporary writing in Arabic. Good translators have been few and those few need encouragement. Now, thanks to the Banipal Trust and the enlightened generosity of Mohammad Ahmad Al-Sowaidi, Arabic literature in translation is getting the recognition and reward enjoyed by some of the other global literary languages.
Peter Clark, Honorary President, The Banipal Trust for Arab Literature

The literary translator is a lynch-pin in the process of cultural dialogue. Translation between Arabic and English needs to be kept under the spotlight. I support this prize because we believe it is so important for developing dialogue with Arabic culture and literature. Arabic literature needs this prize, this attention. We believe that Banipal and their work provide a real bridge between Arabic culture and language and English language and culture. We are sure that this prize will draw more and more attention in the coming years and are proud to have been here at its beginning.
Mohammad Ahmad Al-Sowaidi, Patron of the Banipal Prize, inaugural year 2006


And . . . what was said when the prize was established in 2005

The British Centre for Literary Translation welcomes the establishment of a new prize for literary translation from the Arabic. Rarely has the anglophone world been more keen to hear Arab voices sharing their realities, and their fantasies, in their own words. We look forward to reading, learning and enjoying the new books that will now be brought to our attention.
Amanda Hopkinson, Director, British Centre for Literary Translation

The Arts Council is very pleased to support the establishment of the Banipal Prize for Arabic Literary Translation. Despite the efforts of Banipal magazine and others, the British public still has little access to literature from the Arab world, which could do so much to promote cross-cultural understanding. We hope that this prize will go some way towards raising the profile of Arabic literature in the UK, encouraging translators to translate more, publishers to publish more and readers to read more.
Kate Griffin, International Literature Officer, Arts Council England

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