Katara Cultural Village (Katara) announced Wednesday that the committee of the 9th Katara Prize for the Arabic Novel in 2023 has selected the Egyptian novelist Ihsan Abdel Quddous as the "Person of the Year." The announcement is part of an annual tradition established by the committee to celebrate an Arab literary figure who significantly impacted the course of Arabic literature.
The "Person of the Year" event includes a photo exhibition that documents the most important milestones in the life of Ihsan Abdel Quddous (1919 - 1990). It also features an exhibition titled "Women in the Novels of Ihsan Abdel Quddous," showcasing the most famous heroines in his novels. Additionally, there will be a seminar discussing Ihsan Abdel Quddous' literary works under the title "Ihsan Abdel Quddous ' Role in Enriching Arabic Fiction." This seminar is scheduled for the afternoon of Saturday, October 14th, coinciding with the second day of the Arab Novel Week, which is set to take place from October 13th to October 20th of this year.
Ihsan Abdel Quddous is considered one of the most prolific Arab novelists, having written over 600 novels and stories. Approximately 70 of his novels were adapted into films and television series, with his involvement in writing screenplays and dialogues for many of them. Additionally, five of his novels were adapted into theatrical plays, and nine novels became radio series. Furthermore, 65 of his novels have been translated into English, French, German, Ukrainian, and Chinese.
Abdel Quddous initially entered the world of literary fiction through journalism. He assumed the editor-in-chief position of the magazine "Rosa El Youssef," founded by his mother, Rose Al Yusuf, at the age of 26. He later became the chairman of the organization's board of directors after his mother's passing in 1958. However, he did not stay in this role for long and eventually resigned, leaving the editorship of the magazine to Ahmed Bahaa Eddin. Abdel-Quddus then took on the position of editor-in-chief of the newspaper "Akhbar Al-Youm" twice, first from 1966 to 1968 and the second time from 1969 until 1974. Later, he was appointed as the chairman of the board of directors alongside the editor-in-chief from 1971 to 1974.
Afterward, he worked as a writer for the "Al-Ahram" newspaper, and in 1975, he was appointed as the chairman of the board of directors of the Al-Ahram Foundation, a position he held until 1976. Following this role, he worked as a full-time writer and consultant for "Al-Ahram" newspaper.
Ihsan Abdel Quddous received numerous awards for his literary work. He was awarded the Order of Merit, First Class by former Egyptian President Gamal Abdel Nasser. Former Egyptian President Muhammad Hosni Mubarak also awarded him the Order of the Republic.
In 1989, he received the Appreciation Award in Literature. His novel "My Blood, My Tears, and My Smiles" won the first prize in 1973, and his novel "The Bullet Is Still in My Pocket" received the Best Film Story Award.
The number of entries for the Katara Prize for the Arabic Novel in its ninth edition for 2023 reached 1,491 submissions. Among these, there were 833 unpublished novels, 393 published novels from 2022, 191 submissions in the category of unpublished novels for young authors, and 68 submissions in the category of unpublished studies. Additionally, six Qatari novels were submitted in the fifth category of the prize
Source: Qatar News Agency