Sheikh Zayed Book Award announces shortlist for two categories

The list includes two titles in French, one in English and four publishing houses.

ABU DHABI // The Sheikh Zayed Book Award on Thursday revealed its shortlist of contenders.

The list, for the 10th year of the award, includes two titles in French, one in English and four publishing houses.

The titles named are nominated for the Arab Culture in Other Languages award, while the publishing houses – Asala Publishing and Dar Al Saqi from Lebanon, Obeikan Publishing, from Saudi Arabia and Dar Toubqal from Morocco – have been nominated for the Publishing and Technology award.

The English title nominated is The Medieval Islamic Republic of Letter, Arabic Knowledge Construction, by Iraqi writer Muhsin J Al Musawi, a work of literary history.

The book presented a compelling argument against the commonly held opinion that Arabic literature, since the Abbasids, has failed to become modern.

The first shortlisted French title is Angles et Grandeur, written by Egyptian author Roshdi Rashed, while the second is Les Elites Bagdadiennes au Temps des Seldjoukides, by French researcher Vanessa van Renterghem.

Book award winners will be announced in the next couple of weeks, followed by the announcement of the Cultural Personality of the Year.