Tuesday March 19th, 2024
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Egyptian Novelist Mansoura Ez-Eldin Nominated for Arabic Booker Prize

Egyptian author Mansoura Ez-Eldin has been selected among the Long List for the International Prize for Arabic Fiction 2021.

Cairo Scene

The International Prize for Arabic Fiction, aka the Arabic Booker Prize, has just announced the nominees in its Long List. Egyptian author Mansoura Ez-Eldin has been named with her novel ‘Basateen Al Basra’, or ‘The Orchards of Basra’.


Ez-Eldin is one of 14 writers from 11 countries in the running for the prize, which is valued at USD50,000. All of the books in contention deal with struggle in the Arab world, ranging from topics like extremist groups to women’s issues.


Released in 2020, ‘The Orchards of Basra’ is set in two time periods and places; present day Minya and 8th century Basra, Iraq. Ez-Eldin has had her work translated into over ten languages, and was selected as one of the best 39 Arab writers under 40 by the Beirut 39 project.