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Sheikh Zayed Book Award Announces Literature, Young Author, and Children’s Literature Shortlists

Climate change themed books are displayed together on shelves at a Barnes & Noble book store in Brooklyn, New York, US, March 2, 2021. REUTERS/Brendan McDermid
Climate change themed books are displayed together on shelves at a Barnes & Noble book store in Brooklyn, New York, US, March 2, 2021. REUTERS/Brendan McDermid
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Sheikh Zayed Book Award Announces Literature, Young Author, and Children’s Literature Shortlists

Climate change themed books are displayed together on shelves at a Barnes & Noble book store in Brooklyn, New York, US, March 2, 2021. REUTERS/Brendan McDermid
Climate change themed books are displayed together on shelves at a Barnes & Noble book store in Brooklyn, New York, US, March 2, 2021. REUTERS/Brendan McDermid

The Sheikh Zayed Book Award (SZBA) at the Abu Dhabi Arabic Language Centre (ALC), part of the Department of Culture and Tourism - Abu Dhabi, has announced the shortlisted entries in its Literature, Young Author, and Children’s Literature categories for the 2022 edition, Emirates News Agency (WAM) reported Thursday.

Together the three shortlists consist of nine works from Egypt, Morocco, the UAE, Tunisia, Saudi Arabia and Syria, WAM said.

Selected from a longlist of 15 entries, the shortlist for the Literature category features three works: Ghorbat Al Manazil (Strangers at Home) by novelist Ezzat Elkamhawy (Egypt), published by Al Dar Al Masriah Al Lubnaniah in 2021; Wa Tahmelany Hayraty Wa Dh’anony. Seerat Altakween (Composition Biography: Thoughts and Confusion Carry Me) by critic and academic Said Bengrad (Morocco), published by Le Centre Culturel Du Livre in 2021; and Maq’ha Reesh, Ain Ala Massr (Eye on Egypt: Reesh Café) by Maisoon Saqer (UAE), published by Nahdet Misr Publishing in 2021.

Chosen from a longlist of 14, the three shortlisted works for the Young Author category are: Al Kaa’in al Balaghi al Lugha wal Aaql wal Istita’a fi Kitab ‘Al Bayan wal Tabyeen (Rhetorical Object: Language, Reason, and Ability in the Book ‘Al-Bayan wal-Tabyeen’) by Mustafa Rajwan (Morocco), published by Dar Kunouz Al Maarifa for publication and distribution in 2021; Al Badawa fi al She’er al Arabi al Qadeem (Bedouinism in Ancient Arabic Poetry) by Dr. Mohamed Al-Maztouri (Tunisia), issued by the Faculty of Literature, Arts and Humanities at Manouba University and the GLD Foundation (Al-Atrash Complex for Specialised Books) in 2021; and Al Hikaya al Shaabiya al Saudia al Maktooba bil Fus’ha: Dirasa fi al Muta’aliyat al Nasiya (Saudi Folk Tales Written in Fus’ha: A Study of Textual Transcendence) by Manal Salem Al-Qathami (Saudi Arabia), issued by the Arab Diffusion Foundation in 2021.

In the Children’s Literature category, the three shortlisted entries – selected from a longlist of 10 works – are: Shams Tadhak (A Laughing Sun) by Bayan Al-Safadi (Syria), published by Dar Al Banan in 2020; Loghz al Kora al Zujajiya (The Mystery of the Glass Ball) by Maria Daadoush (Syria), published by Dar Al-Saqi in 2021; and Maw’idi maa al Noor (My Date with the Light) by Raja Mellah (Morocco), published by Al Mu’allif for publishing, printing, and distribution in 2021.

The Young Author category attracted the highest number of entries for the Award this year, with 881 submissions, while the Literature category received 852 submissions, and the Children’s Literature category recorded 236 submissions.

The Sheikh Zayed Book Award will announce the shortlists of its other categories over the coming weeks.

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Culture

Pompeii’s Grandest House Gets a $1.6 Million Restoration Funded by Private Sponsor

In this undated handout photo provided on Tuesday, Oct. 20, 2026, by the Pompeii Archaeological Park, restorers work inside the House of Marcus Fabius Rufus in Pompeii, near Naples, Italy. (Silvia Vacca/ Pompeii Archaeological Park via AP)
In this undated handout photo provided on Tuesday, Oct. 20, 2026, by the Pompeii Archaeological Park, restorers work inside the House of Marcus Fabius Rufus in Pompeii, near Naples, Italy. (Silvia Vacca/ Pompeii Archaeological Park via AP)
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Pompeii’s Grandest House Gets a $1.6 Million Restoration Funded by Private Sponsor

In this undated handout photo provided on Tuesday, Oct. 20, 2026, by the Pompeii Archaeological Park, restorers work inside the House of Marcus Fabius Rufus in Pompeii, near Naples, Italy. (Silvia Vacca/ Pompeii Archaeological Park via AP)
In this undated handout photo provided on Tuesday, Oct. 20, 2026, by the Pompeii Archaeological Park, restorers work inside the House of Marcus Fabius Rufus in Pompeii, near Naples, Italy. (Silvia Vacca/ Pompeii Archaeological Park via AP)

An ancient residence believed to be the grandest in the Pompeii archaeological site is being restored with the entire 1.4 million euros ($1.6 million) cost being covered by a private sponsor, officials announced Tuesday.

The house of Marcus Fabius Rufus, modeled after Rome’s imperial palaces and buried in the eruption of Mt. Vesuvio that destroyed the ancient city in 79 A.D., has been inaccessible to the public since 1980. Originally built on Pompeii’s city walls, it features four floors connected by a maze of corridors and staircases.

Part of it is expected to open to guided groups by Christmas, officials for the Archeological Park of Pompeii said.

The renovation is being paid for by a German entrepreneur, Frank Hoefer, who contacted the archaeological park after reading superintendent Gabriel Zuchtriegel’s 2023 book: “Pompeii: The Enchanted City.”

“Restoring the spectacular residence of Marcus Fabius Rufus ... is a project I find exciting,” Hoefer said in a release. “I also have the impression that Pompeii is very open to innovative approaches to preservation and public access.”

Zuchtriegel said the goal is to expand such sponsorships.

“This does not mean that from tomorrow on if we had 50 such sponsors we would be able to abolish the entrance ticket, putting it at just a symbolic one-euro price, but it is a perspective towards which we have to work to develop the site,” Zuchtriegel said in a video statement.

Structural work was carried out on the house from 2021-2023, and current renovations are focused on the frescoes, including the famous Venus of Pompeii located in a chapel within the residence. The owner was believed to be a magistrate or a freedman of the imperial household.

Zuchtriegel said work was also being done to make the complex more accessible, and digital technology was being developed to help people grasp the “incredible labyrinth” that makes up the house.

“At times, you feel like you are in a 19th-century palace in Naples, yet this is a Roman house from 2,000 years ago,” Zuchtriegel said.

Culture

Saudi Arabia Named Guest of Honor at Algiers International Book Fair 2026

Saudi Arabia Named Guest of Honor at Algiers International Book Fair 2026
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Saudi Arabia Named Guest of Honor at Algiers International Book Fair 2026

Saudi Arabia Named Guest of Honor at Algiers International Book Fair 2026

Saudi Arabia will be the guest of honor at the Algiers International Book Fair 2026, taking place from October 28 to November 7 at the Palais des Expositions in Pins Maritimes. The Kingdom's participation aims to strengthen cultural exchange with Algeria.

Saudi Arabia's selection as guest of honor reflects the strong fraternal relations between the two countries and the rapid development of the Kingdom's cultural sector, supported by the Saudi leadership. These efforts have helped strengthen the global presence of Saudi culture and raise awareness of the Kingdom's cultural heritage.

The Literature, Publishing and Translation Commission will lead the Kingdom's participation in the fair, organizing a cultural program featuring seminars, panel discussions, and poetry evenings. The events will bring together a distinguished group of intellectuals, writers, and specialists. The program will also highlight Saudi Arabia's literary scene and the creative momentum across various cultural fields.

The Saudi pavilion will feature sections dedicated to handicrafts, traditional Saudi attire, and musical instruments, alongside an exhibition of manuscripts and archaeological replicas.

It will host performances of Saudi performing arts that reflect the depth of the Kingdom's cultural heritage, as well as screenings of Saudi films.

Several government entities, authorities, and cultural organizations will participate, presenting a comprehensive picture of cultural activity across various sectors in Saudi Arabia.

The pavilion is expected to offer an integrated cultural experience that reflects the richness and diversity of Saudi identity. It will showcase cultural achievements made under Saudi Vision 2030, which seeks to establish culture as a component of quality of life and a means of fostering cultural exchange among peoples.

Culture

Red Sea Film Foundation Marks Record Presence in the Race for Oscars with 12 Supported Films

Red Sea Film Foundation Marks Record Presence in the Race for Oscars with 12 Supported Films
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Red Sea Film Foundation Marks Record Presence in the Race for Oscars with 12 Supported Films

Red Sea Film Foundation Marks Record Presence in the Race for Oscars with 12 Supported Films

A record 12 Red Sea Film Foundation-supported films have entered the race for Best International Feature Film at the 99th Academy Awards, representing 12 countries across Saudi Arabia, the Arab world, Africa and Asia.

Eleven have been selected as the official submissions of their respective countries: "A Matter of Life and Death, Roqia, Soumsoum, the Night of the Stars, The Stories, Guria, Four Seasons in Java, Sink, Strawberries, Ben’Imana, We Are All Strangers, and The Other Side of the Sun."

They are joined by Angh, which won the Platform Award at the 2026 Toronto International Film Festival. Under new Academy rules introduced for the 99th Academy Awards, the Platform Award winner is among a select group of international festival prize winners eligible to submit directly for consideration in the category, according to SPA.

CEO of the Red Sea Film Foundation Faisal Baltyuor said: “The Red Sea Fund backs a broad slate of films each year, and for twelve of them to reach the Oscars race is an extraordinary moment of pride for the Red Sea Film Foundation. For eleven, being chosen by their countries as the official submission is in itself a significant recognition of the filmmakers and their work, and a testament to the talent and the stories emerging from Saudi Arabia, the Arab world, Africa and Asia. It reflects the growing impact of our commitment to empowering filmmakers and championing their creative visions, from the earliest stages of development through to the international stage. It has been a privilege to be part of their journeys, and we wish them every success as they continue in the Academy Awards race.”

The milestone caps a strong year for Foundation-supported cinema across Cannes, Venice and Toronto. At TIFF 2026 the Foundation marked its largest presence at the festival with eight supported films, culminating in Angh’s Platform Award, while Ben’Imana — now Rwanda’s official submission — won the Caméra d’Or at Cannes earlier in the year.

The shortlist for Best International Feature Film will be announced on December 15, 2026, with nominations on January 21, 2027. The 99th Academy Awards take place on March 14, 2027, in Los Angeles.