Three Moroccan Works Make the Shortlist for the Sheikh Zayed Book Award 2025
Three Moroccan Works Nominated for Sheikh Zayed Book Prize Shortlist
Three Moroccan works have been selected for the shortlist of the 19th edition of the Sheikh Zayed Book Prize in the categories of “Children’s and Young Adult Literature,” “Translation,” and “Arts and Critical Studies.”
In the “Children’s and Young Adult Literature” category, the work “Taïf Sabiba” by Moroccan author Latifa Labsir competes alongside “Maïmouna and Her Crazy Ideas!” by Jordanian author Chérine Sabanekh and “The Digital Fox” by Egyptian writer Hijra Al-Saoui.
In the “Translation” category, “The Demon of Theory: Literature and Common Sense” written by Antoine Compagnon and translated by Moroccan Hassan Taleb also features as a finalist. It is accompanied by “The Thousand and One Nights: The Book of Love,” translated by German Claudia Ott, and “The Work of Paulus Orosius,” translated by Italian Marco Di Branco.
In the “Arts and Critical Studies” category, Moroccan author Saïd El Aouadi’s work “Food and Word: Rhetorical and Cultural Excavations in Arab Heritage” is in the running alongside “Poetry and Prophecy: Al Mutanabbi Through Poetry” by Palestinian Rita Awad and “Architectural Samarra: A Reading of the Architecture and Urbanism of the Abbasid Capital” by Khaled Al Sultani from Iraq.
Other award categories include works in literature, state development, and Arabic culture in other languages, as well as manuscripts and more. However, this year, the categories for “Young Author” and “Publishing and Cultural Technologies” have been suspended.
The prize received over 4,000 submissions from 75 countries, including 20 Arab nations and 55 foreign countries.
