RAMALLAH: The Palestinian Ministry of Culture announced on Monday that Kuwaiti writer Abdullah Al-Husseini’s book (baqi Al-Washim) “Tattoo Remains,” published by Takween Publishing House, won the Ghassan Kanafani Prize for Arabic Fiction in its third edition. The award represents Palestine’s appreciation for novels by Palestinian as well as Arab novelists, and it has been given despite the brutal ongoing genocide committed by (the Zionist) aggression against Palestinians, said Minister of Culture Imad Hamdan during a press conference held at the Forum Hall of the Yasser Arafat Museum in Ramallah.

He further explained that the Ministry established the award to honor creators who grasp the words that define the truth, reject forgery, and seek freedom and salvation. The judging committee for the prize was chaired by Moroccan critic and novelist Ahmad Al-Madini, with members including Jordanian novelist Samiha Khrais, Egyptian critic and academic Mohamed Elshahat, Palestinian writer Ziad Abu Laban, and critic Reyad Kamal.

The Ministry recently announced the novels that made it to the long list, including 14 novels by authors from 10 Arab countries. It then announced the novels that made it to the shortlist, selecting five novels from the initial 14, which are: ‘2067’ by novelist Saad El-Qorshi from Egypt, ‘A Necessary Pain’ by novelist Abdullah Taieh from Palestine, ‘The Tattoo Remains’ by novelist Abdullah Al-Husseini from Kuwait, ‘Imam’s Spring’ by novelist Mohammed Saif Al-Rahbi from Oman, and ‘Berltras’ by novelist Nasr Sami from Tunisia.

The Ghassan Kanafani Award for Arabic Novel this year marks the 50th anniversary of the writer Ghassan Kanafani’s martyrdom. This award is considered one of the highest honors granted by Palestine, symbolizing Ghassan Kanafani’s significance in both Arab and Palestinian consciousness and recognizing his contributions to the Palestinian national movement and cultural resistance in support of Arab and Palestinian identity. 

Abdullah Al-Husseini is a Kuwaiti writer, screenwriter, and editor at Kuwait News Agency (KUNA). Born in 2000, he is a member of the Kuwaiti Writers Association, has a bachelor’s degree in literature and criticism from Kuwait University’s Arabic department, and has two novels. He had won the Layla Al-Othman Award for creativity in short stories and novels in 2018 for his story, “If you close your eyes.” — KUNA