Alqasmi wins International Prize for Arabic Fiction

Zahran Alqasmi has won the 2023 International Prize for Arabic Fiction (IPAF) for his novel The Water Diviner, published by Rashm. 

In addition to being awarded $50,000 (£40,200), funding will be made available by IPAF for the English translation of The Water Diviner. 

Mohammed Achaari, chair of the 2023 judges, said: "The Water Diviner by Zahran Alqasmi explores a new subject in modern fiction: water and its impact on the natural environment and the lives of human beings in hostile regions. Blurring the boundaries of reality and myth, the novel’s precise structure and sensitive poetic language are the conduit for compelling characters like the water diviner, who plays an essential role in people’s lives, yet simultaneously inspires their fear and revulsion. The Water Diviner transports us to the world, little known in the Arabic novel, of the riverbeds and the aflaj (water channels) of Oman, showing how natural forces influence the relationship between individuals, environment and culture.” 

Alqasmi is the first Omani author to win the International Prize for Arabic Fiction. Prior to The Water Diviner (2021), he has published three novels — Mountain of the Horseradish Tree (2013), The Sniper (2014), and Hunger for Honey (2017) — as well as 10 poetry collections, a short story collection and non-fiction. 

Set in an Omani village, The Water Diviner tells the story of water diviner Salem bin Abdullah, employed by the community to find and track springs hidden deep within the earth. At its centre is the aflaj, the irrigation system which is inextricably linked to village life in Oman, and has become the inspiration of many stories and legends. Alqasmi concurrently explores both the life-giving qualities of water, and its potential to bring peril and death through scarcity or flooding.