Each year, the Sheikh Zayed Book Awards, organized by the Abu Dhabi Arabic Language Centre, is a highlight of the annual Abu Dhabi International Book Fair. The awards recognize authors who write about Arab culture and civilization.
This year, Spanish organization Casa Árabe was the recipient of the prestigious Cultural Personality of the Year award, presented at the 18th Sheikh Zayed Book Awards ceremony, held in Abu Dhabi on April 30. The award, which carries a prize of 1 million UAE dirhams (US$272,364), recognizes Casa Árabe's significant role in promoting cultural exchange between Spain and the Arab world.
Casa Árabe is the second Spanish recipient of the Cultural Personality of the Year award, following Arabist Pedro Martinez Montavez, who received the award in 2009. With headquarters in Madrid and Córdoba, the organization is dedicated to the promotion and celebration of Arab culture across the Spanish-speaking world. The institution also includes a prominent language center that teaches Arabic language courses. With an estimated 600,000 native Arabic speakers residing in Spain, Arabic is the second-most spoken language by the country's immigrant population.
Ali Bin Tamim, secretary general of the Sheikh Zayed Book Award, praised Casa Árabe's profound influence on the cultural exchange between Spain and the Arab world, particularly through its work in championing and promoting the Arabic language. He emphasized the historical connection between Arab culture and the Spanish-speaking world, dating back to the era of Al-Andalus.
Irene Lozano Domingo, director general of Casa Árabe, expressed gratitude for the award, calling it an endorsement of Spain's cultural contribution and the public diplomacy promoted by Spanish institutions, especially in the Arab world. She added that the award is a great encouragement for Casa Árabe to continue working on mutual cultural exchange and exploring the ties between Spanish society and the Arab world through culture, coexistence, and peace.
This year's Sheikh Zayed Book Awards awards received 4,240 submissions from 74 countries—a record number of entries and countries alike—with winners hailing from countries including the U.A.E., Tunisia, Germany, Egypt, and China. Each category winner receives prize money of 750,000 UAE dirhams ($204,198).
The winning entries covered a wide range of genres, with a notable focus on the history of the Arab World. The Literature prize was awarded to Egyptian author Reem Bassiouney, for her historical novel Al Halwani: The Fatimid Trilogy, while the Arab Culture in Other Languages category went to German scholar Frank Griffel, for his book The Formation of Post-Classical Philosophy in Islam, published in English by Oxford University Press.
Tunisian Italianist Ahmed Somai won the Translation category for his Arabic translation of Giambattista Vico's The New Science, and Egyptian musician and musicologist Mustafa Said received the inaugural Editing of Arabic Manuscripts award for his study of the medieval treatise Safinat Al-Mulk wa Nafisat Al-Fulk.
The Young Author category was awarded to Tunisian academic Houssem Eddine Chachia, for his work on the expulsion of the Moriscos from Spain, while the Development of Nations category went to Emirati Khalifa Alromaithi, for his study of historical place names in the Emirates. Bayt Elhekma of Creative Industries China won the Publishing & Technology category, for work in building cultural bridges between China and the Arab world.
This Year’s Winners on Opportunity and Responsibility
Bin Tamim, in his opening remarks at the award ceremony, emphasized that winning was about more than taking home prize money, and was a “responsibility,” with the winners being asked to serve as ambassadors for Arab culture around the world.
Bassiouney, who is a professor at the American University in Cairo and the author of more than a dozen novels, concurred. "I'm actually very honored to have this prize," Bassiouney told PW. "It's a very important time in my career, but also, it's a big responsibility because now, I feel like I should keep my quality of work at the same level."
Bassiouney's winning novel is the latest in a series focusing on semi-autonomous periods in Islamic history that have often been overlooked. "I wanted to write about periods that have not been once studied in the Islamic history, and that are extraordinarily important for our identity, for our culture at the moment," Bassiouney explained. By choosing to write historical novels, she aims to explore the human aspect of these eras, focusing on the experiences of ordinary people.
Bassiouney's passion for Islamic history was sparked by a visit to the Ibn Tulun Mosque in Cairo, considered one of the best in the world. "The moment I visited it, I thought, really, I need to know more about the builder, the architect," she recalled. This experience led her on an 11-year journey of delving into Islamic history, reading chronicles, articles, and books whenever she could find them.
Similarly, Griffel's work seeks to correct misconceptions about Islamic philosophy, particularly the idea that it declined after the 12th century. "Classical Islam is regarded by most people as a great culture, and then they think that it declined afterwards," Griffel said. "This is really what I try to correct here in my book. We have to look at that closely. There's so many interesting things happening. There is also, in science and philosophy, things that still need to be discovered."
Griffel's book focuses on the century following the death of Persian philosopher and polymath Al-Ghazali in 1111—a period in which philosophy underwent significant changes in the Islamic world. Griffel argues that the kind of philosophy practiced during this time, known as hikmah, was essentially falsafa—the Arabic term for philosophy derived from the Greek philosophia—under a new name. This rebranding was an attempt to make philosophy more palatable to Islamic sensibilities, as the term hikmah appears in the Quran.
Both Bassiouney and Griffel emphasize the importance of making Islamic history and philosophy more accessible to a wider audience. Bassiouney believes that Arabic literature deserves more global recognition, noting that the Arabic language "does not necessarily, in the world, have the same status that it should have" considering its high number of speakers. She advocates for greater efforts by both the Arab world and the West to promote and translate Arabic literature.
Griffel, meanwhile, highlights the need for closer cooperation between Western scholars and those in the Islamic world. He hopes that his book will be translated and read in the Islamic world, fostering a better understanding of the post-classical period in Islamic philosophy. However, he acknowledges that there is a disconnect between the work of Western scholars and its distribution in the Islamic world, particularly in Arabic-speaking countries.
One of the key insights from Griffel's work is the different methodological approach taken by Islamic philosophers in the post-classical period. He explains that these thinkers often address philosophical problems by presenting both pro and con arguments, acknowledging the impossibility of a single, definitive solution. This inclusive approach contrasts with the Western philosophical tradition exemplified by Immanuel Kant, who argued that certain problems, such as proving the existence of God, should be removed from the realm of philosophy altogether.
Griffel believes that this methodology could be appealing to contemporary philosophers, particularly those in the analytical tradition. "There are my colleagues, particularly in philosophy departments—particularly, you might say, analytical philosophers—who actually are very much drawn to this kind of doing philosophy," he noted.
As Bassiouney and Griffel continue to shed light on the richness and complexity of Islamic history and philosophy, they hope to inspire greater interest and understanding among both academics and the general public. Their work serves as a reminder that there is still much to be discovered and appreciated in the intellectual traditions of the Islamic world.
For Bassiouney, this also means supporting and encouraging young writers. "Give more opportunities to young authors, first-time authors. Read them seriously," she advised. As an established author, she recognizes the importance of nurturing emerging talent and ensuring that fresh voices and perspectives are heard in the literary world.
"I hope that winning this award also serves as signal to younger writers of what can be achieved, and the opportunities ahead of them," she said.
