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 21st 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 21st 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! §
Tunisian Literature (in English) 
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