DOHA, Qatar, Dec. 12 (UPI) -- Six finalists for the International Prize for the Arabic Fiction 2011 award have been named in Qatar, judges said.
The award's panel of judges announced the candidates during an event at the central library of the Qatar Foundation in Doha, Gulf News reported.
"This is an objective neutral international award," said Jonathan Taylor, chairman of the award's board of trustees. "The real value of each novel is the sole fact adopted by the panel in selecting the contenders. There is no discrimination either against ethic or gender."
The 2011 short listed novels are "The Arch and the Butterfly," by Mohammed al Achaari; "The Dove's Necklace," by Raja Alem; "The Hunter of the Chrysalises," by Amir Taj al Sir; "My Tormentor," by Ben Salem Himmich; "Brooklyn Heights," by Miral al Tahawy, and "An Oriental Dance," by Khalid al Bari.
"From the beginning the judging panel worked together in harmony and with a great degree of agreement," said Fadhil al-Azzawi, judge chairman. "In the judges' opinion, the shortlist shows the high quality of the modern Arabic novel in its different forms."
The finalists were named Dec. 9; each will receive $10,000; the winner, to be announced in March, gets an additional $50,000.
There were 123 entries from 17 countries in the Arab world.
The largest numbers of entrants were from Egypt, but for the first time, the list included an entry from Afghanistan.
The award was launched in Abu Dhabi in 2007, and is supported by the Booker Prize Foundation and the Emirate Foundation for Philanthropy.
