The Golden Comar Prize 2020: A Report by Ali Znaidi

The Golden Comar Prize 2020: A Report by Ali Znaidi

The Golden Comar Prize was created in 1997 by the insurance company (Compagnie Méditerranéenne d’assurances et de Réassurances) Comar (Tunisie) by Rachid Ben Jemia to support literary creation, and encourage Tunisian writers, especially novelists.

The 24th edition of the Golden Comar Prize was held on September 22, 2020 at Chedli Klibi Hall at the headquarters of the Ministry of Cultural Affairs. The tightly restricted ceremony, due to the Covid-19 pandemic, was attended by Mr. Salaheddine Ladjimi; the Chairman of Comar’s Board of Directors, Mr. Lotfi Ben Haj Kacem; the Deputy Chairman of Comar’s Board of Directors and president of the The Golden Comar Prize Organizing Committee, and Mr. Kamel Bchini; the General Director of the Book Sector at the Ministry. The ceremony was also attended by a limited number of intellectual, cultural, media and artistic figures as well as, of course, the Minister of Cultural Affairs Mr. Walid Zidi.

In his speech, the Minister of Cultural Affairs stressed the importance of these literary prizes and their outstanding value in stimulating creativity and their role in encouraging publication and enriching the literary scene.

In the same context, Mr. Lotfi Ben Haj Kacem; the Deputy Chairman of Comar’s Board of Directors and president of the The Golden Comar Prize Organizing Committee affirmed that the insurance company Comar insisted on continuing this 24th edition despite the exceptional circumstances in which Tunisia is going through, like the rest of the world, which imposed the postponement of all cultural events and activities.

The Arabic version of the prize was awarded to Hassouna Mosbahi for his novel (La Nasbahou Fi Annahr Marratayn) We Don’t Swin Twice in the River.

The French version of the prize was awarded to Samir Makhlouf for his novel (Merminus infinitif) The Final Terminus of the Sea.

The other prizes went as follows:

*Arabic language prizes:

-The Jury Special Prize was awarded to Amira Ghenim for her novel (Nazlet Dar El Akaber) Dar El Akaber’s Case.

-Discovery Prize was awarded to Lazhar Zanned for his novel (El Esfanja) The Sponge.

*French language prizes:

-The Jury Special Prize was awarded to Sami Mokaddem for his novel (Le secret des Barcides) The Secret of the Barcids.

-Discovery Prize was awarded to Hakim Bécheur for his novel (L’avant-centre de l’Étoile) The Center Front of the Star.

Hassouna Mosbahi, second on the left. Photo Credit Ministry of Cultural Affairs Facebook Page. https://www.facebook.com/M.AFFAIRES.CULTURELLES/photos/pcb.2743548569260315/2743547929260379/

Amira Ghenim Receiving Her Prize From Walid Zidi, Minister of Cultural Affairs. Photo Credit Ministry of Cultural Affairs Facebook Page. https://www.facebook.com/M.AFFAIRES.CULTURELLES/photos/pcb.2743548569260315/2743547905927048/

Some of the Ceremony Attendees. Photo Credit Ministry of Cultural Affairs Facebook Page. https://www.facebook.com/M.AFFAIRES.CULTURELLES/photos/pcb.2743548569260315/2743548145927024

Around 38 novels in Arabic and 12 novels in French competed for this 24th edition.

As far as the judging panel of this 24th edition is concerned, the Arabic section includes Massouda Ben Boubaker, Neziha Khlifi, Monia Abidi, Abdelwahed Brahem, and Mohamed El Kadhi, and the French section includes Ridha Kefi, Kamel Ben Ouanès, Rabaa Abdelkefi, Mounira Chapoutot, and Chaabane Harbaoui.

• Congratulations to all the winners! §

“The Key,” and “Tattoo:” Two Poems by Ines Abassi (Translated by Ali Znaidi)

“The Key,” and “Tattoo:” Two Poems by Ines Abassi (Translated by Ali Znaidi)

Ines Abassi

 

The Key

The last key I carried with me

is hanging down alone from the key chain

like a hanged body in the open air.

The key of the house that is no longer our home

and that will not be our home after today

is stained with the rust of memories

and the dust of the desert that we left behind us.

And the house?

Perhaps you will repaint its walls that absorbed our screams

and the sweat of our tired words.

Oh, how much the words became fragmented  between us

and blocked the colour-radiated light!

Your back is bare, and so are my hands.

Light separates us,

and so do the ideas.

The door doesn’t separate us,

and so do the roads.

However, your bare back separates us.

I needed lots of tears and poems.

Blue bruises taught other poems their days

and I needed the heartbreak that taught my heart with a black bruise.

I needed all our words that were suffocated

with the room’s rotten air, that was heavy with our breath,

anger, and a lot of lies.

You braided the loop of lies

and I untwisted it

with the patience of a woman blinded by love for years.

I threw the key of the house that is no longer our home

and that will not be our home after today

in the junk pile of memories.

 

المفتَاحْ

آخر مفتاح حملتُه معي،

يتدلى وحيدًا من علاّقة المفاتيح

مثل جسد مشنوق في العراء

مفتاحُ البيت الذي لم يعُد بيتنا

الذي لنْ يكون بيتنَا بعد اليوم

يعلُوه صَدأ الذِّكريات

وغبارُ الصحراء التي خلفناها وراءنا

والبيت؟

ربَّما ستعيد طلاء جدارنه التي تشرّبت صراخنا

وعرق كلماتنا المُتعبة

الكلمات… كم تشظّت بيننا

وحجبت الضوء المشّع بالألوان

ظهرك عار ويدي عارية

الضوء يفصل بيننا

الأفكار تفصل بيننا

البابُ لا يفصل بيننا

الطُّرقات لا تفصل بيننا

أما ظهرك العاري ..فيفصل بيننا

احتجت لدموع وقصائد كثيرة

قصائد أخريات علّمت أيامهن كدمات زرقاء

احتجت للغصة التي علّمت قلبي بكدمة سوداء

احتجت لكلّ كلماتنا المختنقة

بهواء الغرفة الفاسد، الثقيل بأنفاسنا

الثقيل بالغضب والكثير من الكذب

أنشوطة الأكاذيب ضفرتَها أنت

وفككتُها أنا

بصبر امرأة أعماها الحب سنواتٍ

مفتاح البيت الذي لم يعد بيتنا

الذي لن يكون بيتنا بعد اليوم

ألقيت به مع كراكيب الذكريات.

 

Originally published on June 1, 2020 in the online London-based Arabic newspaper Qoraish Newspaper.

 

***

 

Tattoo

Soon in another life,

maybe after forty,

I will get a “tattoo;”

wachm in Arabic, which is more elegant.

I will leaf through the tattoo drawing notebook slowly and flirtatiously.

I may choose a tattoo of scorpion, which I was not,

or a snake tattoo,

or even a spider tattoo.

I can also choose a word.

The needle may insert such words as “betrayal” or “indifference”

into my flesh,

or a word greater than “betrayal” or “indifference;”

a longer word that needs more space.

I will completely forget my idea of trading salt for books

at the doors of Timbuktu.

This was an old dream for an older life,

which I have always dreamed of.

I will forget that it was possible for me

in another life

in Timbuktu

to be in a cold room

surrounded by silk, fantasy, and good company.

But I am here, now, today,

at this time.

I want ripped jeans on the knees

and a white shirt

which half of its upper buttons were lost.

Although I want to learn playing an electronic guitar,

I don’t want leather bracelets around my wrist.

I just want to learn playing

a music that breaks windowpanes

and dissipates pain.

I want to strum my pain

and to scream with my ache.

My wound is like the African rift,

extending deeply into earth.

It doesn’t heal.

Perhaps a music with all this noise

might break up the glass around my soul

and dissipate my pain.

 

وشمٌ

في حياة أخرى…قريبا

ربما بعد الأربعين

“سأحصل على “تاتو

وشم …بالعربية..

الكلمة أكثر أناقة بالعربية

سأقلب دفتر الصُّور ببطء ودلال

قد أختار

وشم العقرب التي لم أكنها

أو وشم أفعى

أو حتى وشما لعنكبوت

يمكنني أيْضًا اختيار كلمة

قد تتغرز الإبرة في لحمي

بكلمة مثل

“خيانة”

أو

“لامبالاة”

كلمة أكبر من الخيانة اللامبالاة

كلمة أطول

تحتاج لمساحة أكبر

سأنسى تماما فكرتي عن مقايضة الملح بالكتب

على أبواب تمبكتو

كان هذا حلما قديما لحياة أقدم

طالما حلمتُ بها

سأنسى بأنه كان من الممكن لي

في حياة أخرى

في تمبكتو

كان من الممكن أن أكون في غرفة باردة

يحيط بي الحرير والخيال والصحبة الطيّبة

لكنني هنا الآن اليم

في هذا الزمن

أريد بنطال جينز ممزقا عند الركبتين

وقميصا أبيض

ضاعت نصف أزراره العلوية

ورغم أنني أريد

تعلم العزف على جيتار إلكتروني

إلا أنني…

لا أريد أساور جلدية حول معصمي

أريد فقط أن أتعلم عزف

موسيقى تكسر زجاج النوافذ

وتفتت الألم …

أريد أن أعزف ألمي

أن أصرخ بألمي

جرحي

مثل الصدع الافريقي …

ممتد طويلا في عمق الأرض

ولا يلتئم

ربما… موسيقى بكل هذا الصخب

قد تكسر الزجاج حول روحي ….

وتفتت ألمي.

 

Originally published on June 1, 2020 in the online London-based Arabic newspaper Qoraish Newspaper.

 

Ines Abassi’s Bio:

Ines Abassi (or Ines Al Abbasi) (b. 1981) is a Tunisian literary journalist, poet, children’s writer, short story writer, novelist, and translator. She is the author of several poetry collections, including Secrets of the Wind (2004), Archive of the Blind (2007) winner of the CREDIF prize, Tunisia, and A Whoop of Kohl (2015). She also published a narrative travel book based on her six-month residency in Seoul titled Tales of the Korean Scheherezade (2009), a short story collection Hashasha (Fragility) (2013), and two novels Ichkeul (2016) and Menzel Bourguiba (2018). Her work has been published in numerous Tunisian and Arabic literary magazines in print and online, and has been translated into English, French, Korean, Danish, and Swedish.

 

 

The Golden Comar Prize 2019: A Report by Ali Znaidi

The Golden Comar Prize 2019: A Report by Ali Znaidi

 

The Golden Comar Prize was created in 1997 by the insurance company (Compagnie Méditerranéenne d’assurances et de Réassurances) Comar (Tunisie) by Rachid Ben Jemia to support literary creation, and encourage Tunisian writers, especially novelists.

 

The 23^rd edition of the Golden Comar Prize was held on April 27, 2019 at the Municipal Theatre of Tunis (Théâtre Municipal de Tunis). The ceremony was attended by a number of intellectual, cultural, media and artistic figures as well as the Minister of the Cultural Affairs Mohamed Zine El-Abidine.

This edition was dedicated to the soul of Rachid Ben Yedder, president of the Amen Group who passed away on January 23, 2019 at the age of 84.

 

The Arabic version of the prize was awarded to Tarek Chibani for his novel (Lella Essayida) Lady Essayida.

The French version of the prize was awarded jointly to Mohamed Bouamoud for his novel (La princesse de Bizerte) The Princess of Bizerte, and Rafik Darragi for his novel (Jugurtha Un contre-portrait) Jugurtha A Counter-portrait.

 

The other prizes went as follows:

*Arabic language prizes:
-The Jury Special Prize was awarded to Abdelkader Alimi for his novel (Sakakine Amyaa) Blind Knives.

-Discovery Prize was awarded to Chaouki Barnousi for his novel (Maazak Tchaikovsky) Tchaikovsky’s Predicament.

 

*French language prizes:
-The Jury Special Prize was not awarded this year.

-Discovery Prize was awarded to Alyssa Belghith for her novel (L’amant de la mer) The Sea’s Lover.

 

The Three Laureats Of The Arabic Section Receiving Their Prizes From Mohamed Zine El-Abidine, Minister of the Cultural Affairs. Photo Credit Kapitalis. http://kapitalis.com/tunisie/2019/04/28/reportage-la-soiree-des-prix-litteraires-comar-dor-2019-en-photos/

 

The Laureats And The Judging Panel Of The French Section. Photo Credit Kapitalis. http://kapitalis.com/tunisie/2019/04/28/reportage-la-soiree-des-prix-litteraires-comar-dor-2019-en-photos/

 

 

Extracts from the awarding ceremony. (La soirée de remise des Prix littéraires COMAR d’OR 2019). Video Credit COMAR Assurances Youtube Channel.

The Golden Comar Prize 2019 Awarding Ceremony. Video Credit COMAR Assurances Facebook Page. https://www.facebook.com/comarassurances/videos/1151867911652100/

Around 34 novels in Arabic and 13 novels in French competed for the afore-mentioned prizes.

 

As far as the judging panel of this 23^rd edition is concerned, the Arabic section includes Massouda Ben Boubaker, Neziha Khlifi, Monia Abidi, Abdelwahed Brahem, and Hedi Thabet, and the French section includes Ridha Kefi, Meriem Belkadhi, Mounira Chapoutot, Kamel Ben Ouanès, and Chaabane Harbaoui.

 

• Congratulations to all the winners! §

 

The Golden Comar Prize 2018: A Report by Ali Znaidi

The Golden Comar Prize 2018: A Report by Ali Znaidi

 

The Golden Comar Prize was created in 1997 by the insurance company (Compagnie Méditerranéenne d’assurances et de Réassurances) Comar (Tunisie) by Rachid Ben Jemia to support literary creation, and encourage Tunisian writers, especially novelists.

 

The 22^nd edition of the Golden Comar Prize was held on April 28, 2018 at the Municipal Theatre of Tunis (Théâtre Municipal de Tunis). The ceremony was attended by a number of intellectual, cultural, media and artistic figures as well as the Director of the Office of the Minister of the Cultural Affairs Amal Hachana on behalf of Minister Mohamed Zine El-Abidine.

 

The Arabic version of the prize was awarded to Khairia Boubtane for her novel (Ibnatou El Jaheem) The Daughter of Hell.

The French version of the prize was awarded to Ali Bécheur for his novel (Les Lendemains d’hier) The Tomorrows of Yesterday.

 

The other prizes went as follows:

*Arabic language prizes:
-The Jury Special Prize was awarded to Ines Al Abbasi for her novel (Menzel Bourguiba) Menzel Bourguiba.

-Discovery Prize was awarded to Safia Gam Ben Abdeljelil for her novel (Layta Chahdan…!) If only Chahd…!.

 

*French language prizes:
-The Jury Special Prize was awarded to Ridha Ben Hamouda for his novel (La Marmite d’Ayoub) Ayoub’s Cooking-pot.

-Discovery Prize was not awarded this year.

 

Khairia Boubtane Receiving Her Golden Comar Prize. Photo Credit Radio Tunisie Culture (or simply Radio Culturelle). http://www.radioculturelle.tn/%D8%AA%D8%AA%D9%88%D9%8A%D8%AC-%D8%B1%D9%88%D8%A7%D9%8A%D8%A9-%D8%A7%D8%A8%D9%86%D8%A9-%D8%A7%D9%84%D8%AC%D8%AD%D9%8A%D9%85-%D9%84%D8%AE%D9%8A%D8%B1%D9%8A%D8%A9-%D8%A8%D9%88%D8%A8%D8%B7%D8%A7%D9%86/

 

Extracts from the awarding ceremony. Video Credit SHEMS FM 28/04/2018.

 

The Golden Comar Prize 2018-List of Competing Novels. Photo Credit. http://www.comar-d-or.tn/Fra/image.php?id=98

 

Around 33 novels in Arabic and 12 novels in French competed for the afore-mentioned prizes.

 

As far as the judging panel of this 22^nd edition is concerned, the Arabic section includes Ridha Kefi, Mohamed Mahjoub, Moncef Louhaibi, Neziha Khlifi, and Massouda Ben Boubaker, and the French section includes Samir Marzouki, Anouar Attia, Kamel Ben Ouanès, Ahlem Ghayeza, and Meriem Belkadhi.

 

• Congratulations to all the winners! §

The Golden Comar Prize 2017: A Report by Ali Znaidi

The Golden Comar Prize 2017: A Report by Ali Znaidi

 

The Golden Comar Prize was created in 1997 by the insurance company Assurances Comar (Tunisie) to support literary creation, and encourage Tunisian writers, especially novelists.

The 21^st edition of the Golden Comar Prize was held on April 22, 2017 in the Congress Palace of Tunis (Palais des congrès de Tunis).

The Arabic version of the prize was awarded to Mohamed Issa El Mouadeb for his novel (Jihad Naeem) Soft Jihad.

The French version of the prize was awarded jointly to Béchir Garbouj for his novel (Passe l’intrus ) May the Intruder Pass by! and Yemen Mannai for his novel (L’amas ardent) The Burning Mass.

The other prizes went as follows:

*Arabic language prizes:

-The Jury Special Prize was awarded to Amina Zerig for her novel (Safarou El Qalb) The Heart’s Journey.

-Discovery Prize was awarded to Habib Ben Mehrez for his novel (Hamden Wa-azzamen) Hamden and Time.

*French language prizes:

-The Jury Special Prize was awarded jointly to Ahmed Mahfoudh for his novel (Le Chant des ruelles obscures) The Song of Dark Alleys and Gilbert Naccache for his novel (Il pleut des avions) It Rains Planes.

-Discovery Prize was awarded to Jamila Ben Mustapha for her novel (Rupture(s)) Rupture(s).

*L’Institut Français de Tunisie (The French Institute of Tunisia) Special Prize was awarded to Paul Zeitoun for his novel (C’était hier à Tunis: Mardochée se souvient…) It Was Yesterday in Tunis: Mordecai Remembers….

This is a new category. The winnng novel will be translated into Arabic.

 

The Three Laureats: Mohamed Issa El Mouadeb, Béchir Garbouj and Yemen Mannai Receiving Their Awards From Mohamed Zine El-Abidine, Minister of the Cultural Affairs. Photo Credit Kapitalis. http://kapitalis.com/tunisie/2017/04/23/palmares-du-comar-dor-2017-meddeb-garbouj-et-manai/

 

Extracts from the awarding ceremony. Video credit Tunis 24/7—A TV Programme by Elhiwar Ettounsi Channel.

Around 41 novels in Arabic and 24 novels in French were shortlisted to compete for the afore-mentioned prizes.

As far as the judging panel of this 21^st edition is concerned, the Arabic section includes Massouda Ben Boubaker, Neziha Khlifi, Ridha Kefi, Mohamed Mahjoub, and Moncef Louhaibi and the French section includes Meriem Belkadhi, Ahlem Ghayeza, Emna Louzir, Anouar Attia, and Samir Marzouki.

§ Congratulations to all the winners! §

The Golden Comar Prize 2016: A Report by Ali Znaidi

The Golden Comar Prize 2016: A Report by Ali Znaidi

 

The Golden Comar Prize was created in 1997 by the insurance company Assurances Comar (Tunisie) to support literary creation, and encourage Tunisian writers, especially novelists.

 

The 20th edition of the Golden Comar Prize was held on April 30, 2016 at the Municipal Theatre of Tunis.

 

The Arabic version of the prize was awarded jointly to Emna Rmili for her novel (Toujane)* Toujane and Nabiha Aïssa for her novel (Maraya Al-Ghieb) Mirrors of Absence.
The French version of the prize was awarded jointly to Fawzi Melah for his novel (Ya Khil Salem) Oh, Salem’s Horses! and Fawzia Zouari for her novel (Le Corps de ma Mère) My Mother’s Body.

 

The other prizes went as follows:
*Arabic language prizes:
-The Jury Special Prize was awarded jointly to Mouldi Dhaou for his novel (Siratou Al-Maatouh) The Idiot’s Biography and Chedia Guesmi (or Kasmi) (Al-Massab) The Dumping Ground.
-Discovery Prize was awarded to Hanene Jenane for her novel (Catharsis) Catharsis.
*French language prizes:
-The Jury Special Prize was awarded to Mohamed Harmel for his novel (Les rêves perdus de Leyla) Leyla’s Aborted Dreams.
-Discovery Prize was awarded to Wafa Ghorbel for her novel (Le Jasmin Noir) The Black Jasmine.

 

Emna Rmili receiving her award from Minister of Culture Sonia Mbarek. Photo credit http://mtunisiatv.com/2016/05/01/%D8%A3%D8%A8%D8%B1%D8%B2-%D8%A7%D9%84%D8%AA%D9%81%D8%A7%D8%B5%D9%8A%D9%84-%D8%AD%D9%88%D9%84-%D9%85%D8%B3%D8%A7%D8%A8%D9%82%D8%A9-%D8%A7%D9%84%D9%83%D9%88%D9%85%D8%A7%D8%B1-%D8%A7%D9%84%D8%B0%D9%87/

 

 

 

Extracts from the awarding ceremony plus Emna Rmili and Nabiha Aïssa speaking about their winning novels. Video credit Masr Alarabia

Around 42 novels in Arabic and 20 novels in French were shortlisted to compete for the afore-mentioned prizes.

List of Short-listed Works. Photo credit http://www.tekiano.com/2016/04/27/prix-litteraires-comar-dor-2016-remise-des-prix-et-ceremonie-le-30-avril/

 

As far as the judging panel of this 20th edition is concerned, the Arabic section includes Adel khedhr, Hayet Seyab, Olfa Youssef, Om Zine Ben Chikha, and Chokri Mabkhout and the French section includes Mohamed Mahjoub, Anouar Attia, Ahlem Ghayeza, Emna Louzir, and Samir Marzouki.

 

• Congratulations to all the winners! §

 

*Toujane: A village in the south of Tunisia

The Golden Comar Prize 2015: A Report by Ali Znaidi

The Golden Comar Prize 2015: A Report by Ali Znaidi

The Golden Comar Prize was created in 1997 by the insurance company Assurances Comar (Tunisie) to support literary creation, and encourage Tunisian writers, especially novelists.

The 19th edition of the Golden Comar Prize was held on April 25, 2015 at the Municipal Theatre of Tunis.

The Arabic version of the prize was awarded to Chokri Mabkhout (or Shukri al-Mabkhout) for his novel (Ettalyani) The Italian.
The French version of the prize was awarded to Anouar Attia for his novel (Les Trois Grâces) The Three Graces.

The other prizes went as follows:
*Arabic language prizes:
-The Jury Special Prize was awarded to Jamel Jlassi for his novel (Bey El Orbane) Bey El Orbane.
-Discovery Prize was awarded to Nabil Gueddiche for his novel (Zahratou Oubbad Echams) The Sunflower.
*French language prizes:
-The Jury Special Prize was not awarded this year.
-Discovery Prize was awarded to Sami Mokaddem for his novel (Dix-Neuf) Nineteen.

Around 29 novels in Arabic and 11 novels in French were shortlisted to compete for the afore-mentioned prizes.

As far as the judging panel of this 19th edition is concerned, the Arabic section is presided by Hayett Saieb (a journalist) and the French section is presided by Meriem Belkhadhi (a university teacher and literary critic).

Chokri Mabkhout receiving his award from Minister of Culture Latifa Lakhdar. Photo credit http://www.kapitalis.com.

 

Extracts from the awarding ceremony taken from the website of http://hounatounes.tn.

§ Congratulations to all the winners! §

An Interview with Tunisian Novelist Chokri Mabkhout Conducted by Abdeddayem Sallami and Translated into English by Ali Znaidi

An Interview with Tunisian Novelist Chokri Mabkhout Conducted by Abdeddayem Sallami and Translated into English by Ali Znaidi

Slogans that were raised during the Arab Spring, before it has been infested by the diseased and chagrined slogans of identity of the Muslim Brotherhood, express a citizenly social awareness.

Marcia Lynx Qualey was good enough to publish my translation of an interview with Tunisian and International Prize for Arabic Fiction (IPAF)-shortlisted novelist Chokri Mabkhout conducted by Abdeddayem Sallami in her awesome Arabic Literature (in English). In this interview which was originally published in Arabic, under a Creative Commons license, in the Lebanese electronic newspaper Al Modon on January 13, 2015 Tunisian novelist Chokri Mabkhout (or Shukri al-Mabkhout) talked about the craft of fiction and novel writing, the Revolution, the intellectual’s place and role in society, and politics.

You can check out the full interview here.

Creative Writing Workshops in Tunisia: A House in the Making An Article Written by Ali Znaidi

Creative Writing Workshops in Tunisia: A House in the Making An Article Written by Ali Znaidi

Dzekashu MacViban was good enough to publish my article “Creative Writing Workshops in Tunisia: A House in the Making” in his awesome magazine Bakwa Magazine (Cameroon/USA/Uganda/Germany) on February 03, 2015.

This is the first paragraph:

Can creative writing be taught? This question poses more issues than answers. Teaching creative writing is an established tradition in the West, especially in Anglophone countries. The first MFA (Masters of Fine Arts) in creative writing was inaugurated in the United States of America in 1936 under the leadership of Wilbur Schramm. His Iowa Writers’ Workshop became a starting point if not a beacon for writing programs worldwide. The Iowa Writers’ Workshop has since its inception given writers the necessary tools to excel and achieve success both at home and internationally.

First session of The House of Fiction. Photo credit The House of Fiction Facebook Page.

You can check out the full article here.

The Golden Comar Prize 2014: A Report by Ali Znaidi

The Golden Comar Prize was created in 1997 by the insurance company Assurances Comar (Tunisie) to support literary creation, and encourage Tunisian writers, especially novelists.

The 18th edition of the Golden Comar Prize was held on April 20, 2014 at the Municipal Theatre of Tunis.

The Arabic version of the prize was awarded to Mohamed El Bardi for his novel (Diwan El Mawajaa) The Collection of Pains.
The French version of the prize was awarded to Saber Mansouri for his novel (Je suis né huit fois) I Was Born Eight Times.

The other prizes went as follows:

*Arabic language prizes:
-The Jury Special Prize was awarded to Dr. Emna Rmili Oueslati for her novel (Al Baki) What Remains.
-Discovery Prize was awarded to Fathi Jamil for his novel (Bab El Bhar) Bab El Bhar “The Door of the Sea”.
*French language prizes:
-The Jury Special Prize was awarded to Khaoula Hosni for her novel (D.A.B.D.A) D.A.B.D.A.
-Discovery Prize was awarded to Nejib Turki for his novel (Le destin apprivoisé) The Tamed Fate.

19 novels in Arabic and 13 novels in French were shortlisted to compete for the afore-mentioned prizes.

As far as the Arabic section is concerned, the judges for this 18th edition are Hayett Saieb (a journalist), Saloua Saadaoui, (a university teacher specialized in fiction studies), Kamel Eddine Gaha (a university teacher specialized in 18th century French literature), Chokri Mabkhout (a professor specialized in Arabic literature) and Abdeljabbar Eleuch (a novelist).

As far as the French section is concerned, the judges are Meriem Belkhadhi-Kaffel (a university teacher and literary critic), Ahlem Ghayaza (a university teacher), Najet Tnani (a professor), Samir Marzouki (a professor specialized in French literature) and Nabil Radhouane (a university teacher).

Golden Comar Awarding Ceremony 2014 Image from Agence Tunis Afrique Presse.

Extracts from the awarding ceremony taken from the website of the private Tunisian radio SHEMSFM Tunisie.

§ Congratulations to all the winners! §