The news below was taken from the IPAF’s website. Our favorite literature blogger is attending the conference in Cairo and should get back later today with some further insight!

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 IPAF, or Arab Booker prize’s shortlist was announced earlier today in Doha, Arab Capital of Culture of 2010. The winner will be announced on March 14th, 2011 in Abu Dhabi.

The Arab Man Booker, also called International Arabic Prize of Fiction, was awarded on March 2cnd in Abu Dhabi to Saudi writer Abdo Khal for his novel ‘She throws sparks’.

A fine shortlist of nominees for the third ‘Arabic Booker’ has so far been overshadowed by manufactured controversy, Youssef Rakha writes.
* By Youssef Rakha, published in The National

I was trying to buy a banned book in Damascus by one of Syria’s top literary figures, and to my surprise it seemed to be going rather well.