Judges of the 2021 International Booker Prize revealed on Tuesday the 13 novels longlisted for the prestigious award, and Palestinian author Adania Shibli has secured a spot on the list for her book “Minor Detail.”
Told in two equal parts, both the same length but with different main characters who live in different eras, the award-winning writer’s book crafts a story that connects strangers to one another through the occupation that has shaped Palestinians’ lives.
Palestinian author Adania Shibli makes cut for longlist of #InternationalBookerPrize 2021https://t.co/sxNorhV0K4
— The National (@TheNationalNews) March 30, 2021
The novel begins in 1949, one year after the Nakba in which 700,000 Palestinians were displaced. A military operation is taking place in the Negev desert, south of Gaza along the Egyptian border, to secure the land and expel the Arabs.
The book was translated to English by Elisabeth Jaquette.
The International Booker Prize is awarded every year for a single book that is translated into English and published in the UK or Ireland.
According to a released statement, “it aims to encourage more publishing and reading of quality works of imagination from all over the world, and to give greater recognition to the role of translators.”
?YES! Minor Detail by Adania Shibli, translated from Arabic by Elisabeth Jaquette, Fitzcarraldo Editions https://t.co/KuuGXkcnVf
— ArabLit & ArabLit Quarterly (@arablit) March 30, 2021
The contribution of both author and translator is given equal recognition, with the prize of around $68,800 split evenly between them. Each shortlisted author and translator also receives around $1,300 bringing the total value of the prize to around $70,100.
The winner will be announced on June 2.
This article has been adapted from its original source.
