Since 2008, the International Prize for Arabic fiction, also known as the Arab Man Booker Prize, has been a reference in the literary scene. The long list for the 2012 prize was announced yesterday, and Jabbour Douaihy’s Chased away is in it!

The long list is:

Sarmada, by Fadi Aazam (Syrian), at Thaqafa li al nashr
Paving the sea | Tablit al bahr, by Rachid al Daif (Lebanese), at Riyad al rayyes
Chased away | Charid al manazel, by Jabbour Douaihy (Lebanese), at Dar annhar
The druzes of Belgrade | Dourouz Belgrade, by Rabih Jaber (Lebanese), at Al Markaz al thaqafi al arabi
An embrace on Brooklyn bridge | Eenaq eend jesr brooklyn, by Ezeddine Choukri Fshir (Egyptian), at Dar al ein
The unemployed | El aatel, by Naser Eeraq (Egyptian), at Dar al masriya al loubnaniya
The doll of fire | Doumiyat al nar, by Bashir Moufti (Algerian), at Manshourat al ikhtilaf
Under the Copenhague sky | Tahta sama’a Copenhaguen, by Hawra al Nadawi (Iraqi/Danish), at Dar al saqi
The suitcases of memory | Haqaeb al thakira, by Charbel Qattan (Lebanese), at Nawfal
The nightly being of sadness | Ka’enat al hozn al layliya, by Mohammad al Rifai (Egyptian), at Dar Merit
The women of the gardens | Nisa’ al Basatin, by Habib al Salmi (Tunisian), at Dar al adab
The extraordinary journey of Khayreddin | Rahlat khayreddin al aajiba, by Ibrahim Zaarour (Jordanian), Dar fada’et
The nabati | Al nabati, by Yousef Zeydan (Masri), Dar al shorouq