The winners of the 2015-2016 Sheikh Zayed Book Award have been announced, highlighting a selection of the top literary works in the world.
Winners were selected by a panel of 300 experts.
The winning title in the category of "Contribution to the Development of Nations" award went to Al-Sarab (The Mirage) by Emirati Jamal Sanad Al-Suwaidi, published by The Emirates Centre for Strategic Studies and Research last year.
The book focuses on the emergence of politicised religious groups and analyses their religious thought and political ideologies.
The "Literature" award went to Ma Wara'a Al-Kitaba (Beyond Writing) by Egyptian novelist Ibrahim Abdelmeguid, published in 2014 by Al-Dar Al-Masriyah Al-Lubnaniyah in Cairo.
The Translation Award went to Iraqi Keyan Yahya, who translated “The Meaning of Meaning” by C.K. Ogden and I.A. Richards - the first time the book has been translated into Arabic after more than 90 years of publication.
The Literary and Art Criticism Award went to Al-Fikr Al-Adabi al-'Arabi (Arabic Literary Thought) by Moroccan Said Yaktine, and 'Angles et Grandeur' by Egyptian author Roshdi Rashed took the "Arab Culture in Other Languages" award.
The Publishing and Technology Award went to Dar Al-Saqi.
Awards will be handed out during a May 1 ceremony coinciding with the Abu Dhabi International Book Fair.
The Cultural Personality of the Year winner will be announced, receiving a prize of Dh1 million, a gold medal bearing the Sheikh Zayed Book Award logo, and a certificate of merit.
Each of the winners of the Award’s other eight categories will receive Dh750,000, a gold medal and a certificate of merit.
A total of 1,169 nominations were made for this year’s awards, coming from 33 countries including Algeria, Morocco, Jordan, Egypt, Lebanon, Qatar, Kuwait, UK, France and Holland.
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