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Jalal Barjas

ジャラル・バルジャス

Jalal Barjas

Profile

Gender
Male
Born
1970-06-03 （Hanina (near Madaba), Jordan）
Nationality
Jordanian
Languages
Arabic, English
Residence History
Hanina (near Madaba), Jordan → (Primarily active within Jordan)

Career

Occupations
writer, journalist, editor, engineer
Active Years
1995-
Affiliations
Jordanian Narrative Lab, generation sound magazine (Editor-in-Chief), Prepares and presents the cultural radio program 'House of Novel'

Education

—
Aeronautical Engineering (field of study)
Country: Jordan
Trained as an aeronautical engineer; exact institution and graduation year not specified in source.

Awards

Katara Prize for Arabic Novel
2015
Work: Snakes of Fire
Organization: Katara Cultural Village
Result: 受賞
International Prize for Arabic Fiction
2021
Work: Notebooks of the Bookseller
Organization: International Prize for Arabic Fiction (IPAF)
Result: 受賞
Rifqa Doudin Prize
Work: Guillotine of the Dreamer
Result: 受賞
Rukus ibn Za'id al Uzayzi Prize
Work: The Earthquakes
Result: 受賞
International Prize for Arabic Fiction (longlist)
2019
Work: Women of the Five Senses
Organization: International Prize for Arabic Fiction (IPAF)
Result: 長編候補（longlisted）

Awards & Nominations

Works

Major Works

Notebooks of the Bookseller

2021 Novel

Ibrahim al-Warraq, a bookseller driven from the city centre, faces despair and reinvents himself—assuming fictional identities and turning to theft to aid the poor. The novel uses poetic language to explore social ruin, personal emptiness and psychological transformation.

social injusticepovertyidentitypsychological exploration
Translations

Women of the Five Senses

2019 Novel

A novel that uses senses and memory to examine relationships and society with experimental elements.

memorysenseshuman relationships

The Earthquakes

2012 Short story collection

A collection of short stories, including pieces that earned the Rukus ibn Za'id al Uzayzi Prize.

urban collapsepersonal loss

Bibliography

  • Like Any Branch On A Tree (poetry collection, 2008)
  • A Moon Without Tracks (poetry collection, 2011)
  • The Earthquakes (short story collection, 2012)
  • Guillotine of the Dreamer (novel, year not specified)
  • Snakes of Fire (also cited as Snakes of Hell) (novel, year not specified)
  • Women of the Five Senses (novel, 2019)
  • Notebooks of the Bookseller (novel, 2021)

Style & Themes

Literary Style
poetic languagesymbolic and metaphorical expressionnarrative focused on psychological description
Recurring Motifs
urban collapse and renewaltransformation of identityreading and books as metaphor

Legacy

Jalal Barjas is known for his poetic style and incisive depiction of social and psychological themes; winning the International Prize for Arabic Fiction in 2021 solidified his international reputation as one of Jordan's leading contemporary writers.

Quotes

  • In intensely poetic language, Jordanian writer Jalal Barjas throws light on a totally schizophrenic reality in his country, which lies on a fault line prone to frequent tremors. Barjas opens up many surprises for his reader, illustrating through his flawed characters the ruined state and complete emptiness of the world.
    Source: Chawki Bazih, chairperson of the judges' panel, IP A F 2021 award statement (2021)

Trivia

  • Born in 1970 in Hanina near Madaba.
  • Trained as an aeronautical engineer before working in journalism and literature.
  • Has served as editor-in-chief of cultural magazines and prepares/presents a cultural radio program.
  • Won the International Prize for Arabic Fiction (IPAF) in 2021 for 'Notebooks of the Bookseller'.