Katara Prize for Arabic Novel
1 appearances
-
Edition 5 (2019) Winner
Haji Jaber
ハジ・ジャベール
Haji Jaber
Aliases:
Haji Jabir Abubeker
Profile
- Gender
- Male
- Born
- 1976-01-01 （Massawa, Eritrea）
- Nationality
- Eritrean
- Languages
- Arabic
- Residence History
- Doha, Qatar
Career
- Occupations
- novelist, journalist, creative writing instructor
- Active Years
- 2012-
- Affiliations
- Al Jazeera Media Network, Al Jazeera Media Institute
Awards
| Year | Award | Work | Category | Organization | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2012 | Sharjah Award for Arab Creativity | Samrawit | — | Sharjah cultural authorities | 受賞 |
| 2019 | Katara Novel Prize | Black Foam | — | Katara Cultural Village Foundation | 受賞 |
| 2019 | International Prize for Arabic Fiction (Longlist) | Black Foam | — | International Prize for Arabic Fiction | ロングリスト |
| 2016 | Sheikh Zayed Book Award (Longlist) | The Spindle Game | — | Sheikh Zayed Book Award | ロングリスト |
Sharjah Award for Arab Creativity
2012
Work:
Samrawit
Organization:
Sharjah cultural authorities
Result:
受賞
Katara Novel Prize
2019
Work:
Black Foam
Organization:
Katara Cultural Village Foundation
Result:
受賞
International Prize for Arabic Fiction (Longlist)
2019
Work:
Black Foam
Organization:
International Prize for Arabic Fiction
Result:
ロングリスト
Sheikh Zayed Book Award (Longlist)
2016
Work:
The Spindle Game
Organization:
Sheikh Zayed Book Award
Result:
ロングリスト
Awards & Nominations
Works
Major Works
Samrawit
2012 NovelA novel dealing with Eritrean society and personal stories. An early representative work weaving regional memory and personal history.
homelandmemorypersonal history
Fatma's Harbour
2013 NovelA human drama set in a port town. Through the movements and encounters of characters, it depicts social structures and the realities of migration.
migrationportencounters
Translations
- Translated into Italian
The Spindle Game
2015 NovelA work portraying characters struggling between tradition and modernity. Its narrative structure and experimental aspects were noted, earning it a longlisting for the Sheikh Zayed Book Award.
tradition vs modernityidentity
Black Foam
2018 Fiction inspired by real eventsA novel inspired by real events, focusing on the migration of Ethiopian Jews (Falasha/ Beta Israel) to Israel, exploring poverty, hope, and the hardships of migration.
migrationreligious minoritieshope and despair
Translations
- English translation by Sawad Hussain and Marcia Lynx Qualey (2023)
- An excerpt translated into English by Nancy Roberts
The Abyssinian Rimbaud
2021 NovelA work themed on the intersection of the Horn of Africa and the outside world, incorporating imaginative narratives around historical figures and poets.
historycultural exchangepoetry and travel
Bibliography
- Samrawit (2012)
- Fatma's Harbour (2013)
- The Spindle Game (2015)
- Black Foam (2018)
- The Abyssinian Rimbaud (2021)
Translations of Works
- Black Foam → English translation (Sawad Hussain & Marcia Lynx Qualey, 2023)
- Fatma's Harbour → Italian translation
Style & Themes
- Literary Style
- epic/narrativefiction rooted in historical factreflection of local vocabulary and oral traditions
- Recurring Motifs
- homeland and diasporaoppression and escapememory and testimony
Legacy
Haji Jaber is recognized for incorporating Eritrean history and diaspora experiences into literature. International recognition, including the longlisting of Black Foam, brought attention to him as an Eritrean author on the global stage.
Quotes
-
“I write about the people of my country, because they are a persecuted and suffering people, and so my novels come in this manner. I would like to write far from politics, but I would betray these people if I turned away from their issues.”
Source: Interview with ArabLit (2019) (2019)
Trivia
- Lives in Doha, Qatar and works as a journalist for Al Jazeera.
- Black Foam made him the first Eritrean novelist to be longlisted for the International Prize for Arabic Fiction.
- Has taught creative writing courses at the Al Jazeera Media Institute.