São Paulo – Omani writer Jokha Alharthi’s novel Celestial Bodies is the first book originally written in Arabic to win the Man Booker International Prize, an accolade intended for original fiction works translated into English and published in the United Kingdom. Out through Sandstone Press, , the book was translated into English by Marylin Booth, of the United States, who teaches Arabic literature at Oxford, UK. The prize ceremony took place Tuesday (21) in London. Pictured above are Alharthi (R)and e Booth (L).
Celestial Bodies tells the story of three sisters living in the village of Al-Awafi, of the changes in post-colonial Oman, and of duty, freedom and love.
Alharthi became the first person of Arab background to win the prize. She is the author of two collections of fictional tales, one children’s book and three novels in Arabic. Alharthi studied Arabic poetry at the University of Edinburgh and teaches at Sultan Qaboos University, in Muscat, Oman.
The £ 50,000 cash prize (USD 63,300) gets split 50-50 between the writer and the translator.
The Man Booker International Prize was first awarded in 2005. It went from biennial to annual in 2015.
Translated by Gabriel Pomerancblum
