Exploring 15 Award-Winning Sheikh Zayed Book Award Titles Available in English Translation

As the Abu Dhabi International Book Fair honors the winners of the 20th Sheikh Zayed Book Award, we highlight 15 notable award-winning books spanning fiction, children's literature, poetry, translation, and scholarship that can be read in English.

Launched in 2006, the prestigious literary award recognizes outstanding writing, translation, and scholarship while promoting Arabic literature. Winners in each competitive category receive Dh750,000 ($204,167), and the Cultural Personality of the Year receives Dh1 million ($272,222). Ali bin Tamim, secretary general of both the Abu Dhabi Arabic Language Centre and the award, noted the milestone as an opportunity to reflect on how the initiative has evolved into a leading platform for rigorous scholarship and creative writing.

Fiction and Children’s Literature

1. The End of the Sahara by Said Khatibi (2023)
Translated by Alexander Elinson and published by Bitter Lemon Press, this crime novel by Algerian novelist Said Khatibi is set during the weeks leading up to the October 1988 riots in Algeria. Khatibi also won this year’s International Prize for Arabic Fiction for Swimming Against the Tide.

2. The Lilac Girl by Ibtisam Barakat (2020)
Translated by the author and published by BookLand Press, this children's literature winner by Palestinian-American writer Ibtisam Barakat is inspired by Palestinian artist Tamam Al-Akhal and explores displacement and memory from a child's perspective.

3. I Dream of Being a Concrete Mixer by Hussain Al Mutawaa (2019)
Translated by Sophia Vasalou and published by BookLand Press, this work by Kuwaiti author Hussain Al Mutawaa questions societal expectations and ambition through a young protagonist.

4. The Dinoraf by Hessa Al Mehairi (2018)
Translated and published by Marcos y Marcos, this picture book by Emirati writer Hessa Al Mehairi tells the story of a dinosaur finding belonging among giraffes, making her the first Emirati woman to win the award.

5. Hatless by Lateefa Buti (2017)
Translated by Nancy Roberts and published by Darf Publishers, Kuwaiti author Lateefa Buti's book imagines a society where people wear hats covering their faces until one girl decides to remove hers.

6. After Coffee by Abdelrashid Mahmoudi (2014)
Translated by Nashwa Gowanlock and published by HBKU Press, Egyptian writer Abdelrashid Mahmoudi's novel follows Medhat through his life in Ismailia and Vienna during the 1940s.

7. Gold Ring by Qais Sedki (2010)
Published by Al Hudhud, author Qais Sedki became the first Emirati to win the award with this graphic novel that blends Japanese manga aesthetics with Emirati culture.

Poetry and Biography

8. Traces of Enayat by Iman Mersal (2021)
Translated by Robin Moger and published by And Other Stories, Egyptian poet Iman Mersal investigates the life and career of enigmatic writer Enayat Al Zayyat.

9. Thirty Poems for Children by Jawdat Fakhreddine (2014)
Translated by Huda Fakhreddine and published by BookLand Press, Lebanese poet Jawdat Fakhreddine's collection encourages children to observe the natural world.

Translation Winners

10. Smorgasbords of Andalusi and Maghribi Dishes and Their Salutary Benefits, translated by Nawal Nasrallah (2026)
Published by Brill, Iraqi-American food historian Nawal Nasrallah translated a 13th-century Andalusi and Maghrebi cookbook detailing the medieval Islamic world's culinary practices.

11. Orosius: Seven Books of Histories Against the Pagans, translated by Marco Di Branco (2025)
Published by Pisa University Press, Italian historian Marco Di Branco worked on the Arabic version of the fifth-century history by Paulus Orosius.

12. Impostures by Al-Hariri, translated by Michael Cooperson (2021)
Published by NYU Press/Library of Arabic Literature, Michael Cooperson translated Al-Hariri's 12th-century Maqamat by applying different English styles to capture the original wordplay.

Non-Fiction and Scholarship

13. The Arabian Nights in Contemporary World Cultures by Muhsin Al-Musawi (2022)
Published by Cambridge University Press, Iraqi scholar Muhsin Al-Musawi studied how One Thousand and One Nights has been adapted globally.

14. Imagining Babylon: The Modern Story of an Ancient City by Mario Liverani (2014)
Published by De Gruyter, Italian historian Mario Liverani examined Western interpretations and excavations of ancient Babylon.

15. Stranger Magic: Charmed States and the Arabian Nights by Marina Warner (2013)
Published by Belknap Press, British scholar Marina Warner explored the role of magic in One Thousand and One Nights and its influence on Western literature.