Omani writer wins Man Booker literature prize
Jokha Alharthi on Tuesday became the first Arabic author to
win the Man Booker International prize for her novel "Celestial
Bodies" which reveals her Omani homeland's post-colonial transformation, AFP reported.
"I am thrilled that a window has been opened to the
rich Arabic culture," Alharthi, 40, told reporters after the ceremony at
the Roundhouse in London.
Alharthi is the author of two previous collections of short
fiction, a children's book and three novels in Arabic.
She studied classical Arabic poetry at Edinburgh University
and teaches at Sultan Qaboos University in Muscat.
"Oman inspired me but I think international readers can
relate to the human values in the book – freedom and love," she said.
The prestigious 50,000-pound (57,000 euro, $64,000) prize,
which celebrates translated fiction from around the world, is divided equally
between the author and the translator.
Alharthi's translator was US academic Marilyn Booth, who
teaches Arabic literature at Oxford University.
The judges said Celestial Bodies was "a richly
imagined, engaging and poetic insight into a society in transition and into
lives previously obscured".
It is set in the village of al-Awafi in Oman where we
encounter three sisters: Mayya, who marries Abdallah after a heartbreak; Asma,
who marries from a sense of duty; and Khawla, who is waiting for her beloved
who has emigrated to Canada.
The three sisters witness Oman's evolution from a
traditional, slave-owning society.
"It touches the subject of slavery. I think literature
is the best platform to have this dialogue," Alharthi said.
The jury said: "Elegantly structured and taut, it tells
of Oman's coming-of-age through the prism of one family's losses and
loves".
The Guardian said it offers "glimpses into a culture
relatively little known in the west" and The National said it signaled
"the arrival of a major literary talent", calling the book "a
densely woven, deeply imagined tour de force".
Jury chair Bettany Hughes said the novel showed
"delicate artistry and disturbing aspects of our shared history".
"The style is a metaphor for the subject, subtly
resisting clichés of race, slavery and gender," she said.
Alharthi was up against five other shortlisted authors:
France's Annie Ernaux, Germany's Marion Poschmann, Poland's Olga Tokarczuk,
Colombia's Juan Gabriel Vasquez and Chile's Alia Trabucco Zeran.