The International Prize for Arabic Fiction (IPAF) 2024 on Thursday revealed the longlist of 16 novels in contention for the 2024 prize, including two Tunisian authors Sofien Rejeb with his novel "Reader of the Tanners' Alley," published by Masciliana, and Dorra Fazaa with "I hide passion," published by Sindbad Editions. The list has been chosen from a total of 133 books published in Arabic between July 2022 and June 2023 by a panel of five judges, chaired by Syrian writer Nabil Suleiman. Joining him are Palestinian writer, researcher and academic Sonia Nimr, Czech academic František Ondráš, Egyptian critic and journalist Mohamed Shoair, and Sudanese writer and journalist Hammour Ziada. The novels take readers from a racecourse in 1920s Cairo, to a rare book market in Tunisia; from the ancient houses of Baghdad, to a famine in 1970s Jerusalem. We also see customs and traditions of territories new to Arabic literature, such as the Comoros islands and the Belgian Congo. Transitional periods in history are deco nstructed to answer questions about the current moment, and to explore the impact of socio-political conditions on both individual identity and interpersonal relationships. A number of the books reflect on the act of creation, while other recurrent themes include war, exile, and impossible love. The International Prize for Arabic Fiction (IPAF) is the most prestigious and important literary prize in the Arab world. Its aim is to reward excellence in contemporary Arabic creative writing and to encourage the readership of high quality Arabic literature internationally through the translation and publication of winning and shortlisted novels in other major languages. Source: Agence Tunis Afrique Presse