The French Lagardere Foundation awarded Jokha al-Harthi, a Omani writer and academic, its 2021 Prix de La Littérature Arabe, a French prize that celebrates literature by Arab authors written in French or literature translated from Arabic to French.
She won the prize for her novel “Les corps célestes (Celestial Bodies)” translated from Arabic by Khaled Osman and published by Stéphane Marsan.
The prize was created in 2013 by the Jean-Luc Lagardère Foundation and the Arab World Institute.
Harthi, 43, has previously won the British Man Booker Prize for the English translation of the same novel.
She received her Ph.D. in classical literature from the University of Edinburgh. She is currently an associate professor at Sultan Qaboos University.
This year’s jury included several cultural and arts professionals and specialists in the Arab world, chaired by Pierre Leroy.
The jury praised the novel, saying it is “captivating and poetic” and allows to discover an Omani society in the process of a complete transformation and the living conditions and aspirations of its people.
“Although grounded in Omani reality, this book speaks for all humanity and addresses the universal. “
The jury also spoke of “the remarkable literary quality of Khaled Osman’s translation, which masterfully manages to convey the spirit of the work.”
The Arab World Institute in Paris will hold a ceremony Saturday to present Harthi with her award.
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