Tribune News Network
Granada
Honouring the legacy of iconic Egyptian novelist, writer, literary critic, and professor Radwa Ashour, Qatar Foundation (QF) and the University of Granada have launched the annual Radwa Ashour Award for Arabic Literature.
The award was launched on December 13, 2024 at the historic Al-Madrassa Al Youssufia in Granada, Spain. The Radwa Ashour Award for Arabic Literature is open exclusively to writers who create in Arabic, emphasising QF’scommitment to promoting the Arabic language and Arab-Islamic cultural heritage.
Her Excellency Sheikha Hind bint Hamad Al Thani, vice chairperson and CEO of Qatar Foundation, said: “Throughout history’s most challenging times, humanity has turned to literature – its enduring mirror. “Great literature, therefore, transcends its artistic form to become essential – a vessel of memory, resistance, and hope.”
The Radwa Ashour Award for Arabic Literature is designed as a writing residency retreat, and will be awarded annually to two exceptional Arabic-language writers. Writers are selected based on the literary merit of their work and the promise of their proposed writing projects. A distinguished panel of Radwa Ashour’s literary circle of authors, critics, and literary scholars will oversee the selection process.
Radwa Ashour’s son, poet Tamim Al Barghouti, emphasized the enduring power of literature, saying: “We shall go on, beyond death itself, armies turn our homes to museums of death, with our bodies being their twisted art, but language, prose and poetry, and art in all forms, survive the tanks and start the world anew.
“This is but a small step to offer writers a moment’s peace while they prepare themselves for their daily battles.”
The two recipients of the award will be based in Granada for an extended residency, offering uninterrupted time for writing, research, and creative development. During their stay, they will also engage with local cultural and literary communities through lectures, workshops, and public readings, fostering cultural exchange and creative collaboration.
Jose Miguel Vilchez, Arabist and professor of Art History at the University of Granada, reflected on the award’s purpose, saying: “This award aims to encourage literary creation in the Arabic language – a universal language, and also one of the languages of Spain.
“It bears the name of a courageous woman deeply committed to university teaching, writing, and denouncing injustice and oppression: the Egyptian writer Radwa Ashour. She also drew inspiration from the history of our city, Granada, to craft one of the most impactful narratives in contemporary Arabic literature, which calls for building a free world grounded in mutual recognition between cultures.”Two exceptional Arabic-language writers to receive the award each year
