Palestinian wins Multaqa Arabic Short Story Prize
KUWAIT: Palestinian author Mazen Maarouf won the Al-Multaqa Arabic Short Story Prize yesterday for the year 2015-16 for his collection of short stories, “Jokes for the Gunmen”. The judging panel announced Maarouf as the winner in a ceremony held under the patronage of Minister of Amiri Diwan Sheikh Nasser Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Sabah, among 189 Arab short story writers. Maarouf will get $20,000 in cash, in addition to translating of his winning short stories into English and French.
Dr Taleb Al-Rifaee, founder of AlMultaqa, which was launched last year by the American University of Kuwait (AUK) in partnership with the Cultural Circle, said Al-Multaqa was a dream that came true, aimed at developing the art of short stories. The short story is very concentrated and equals the writing of poems, he explained. This annual prize, he said, aimed at encouraging people to write short stories and maintain it. Maarouf said the writing of short stories “is an essential and urgent literary need”. “Jokes for the Gunmen” is a surrealistic collection of 14 short stories about the reality of a child living in a war zone. — KUNA