Jordanian Winners of "Katara": The Award is a platform to publicize and criticize the Arabic novel

Hussein Nashwan - Amman

The Jordanian Minister of Culture and Minister of Youth Mohammed Abu Rumman said that we treat the Katara Prize with a great deal of importance and importance, as it is a platform to introduce the novel and critical studies and gain a great Arab and international reputation.

Abu Rumman said in a statement to Al Jazeera Net that the arrival of Jordanians to this level of competition and win four awards "is an important indicator for us that there is a Jordanian youth movement concerned with literary issues," and "is what we are proud of."

Abu Rumman said on the sidelines of the honoring of the winners at the Royal Cultural Center, "Those who monitor the Jordanian scene notice over the past years what looks like a boom in young people by taking care of literature and all fields of culture, especially the novel. This is revealed and confirmed by the Katara Prize, appreciating those who are interested in the creativity that accumulates in particular." Arabic Culture and Knowledge.

Not very similar
The winner of Katara's award for the published novel is not like herself, Leila al-Atrash explained this in the presence of the Jordanian writing Arab in the last two decades, and there are many names that have matured in their methods and techniques and also reflected on a generation of young people, but warned of "chaos of publishing and lack of criticism."

She pointed out that her winning novel tells the story of an Afghan love, dealing with migration and memories of people from their homelands, and the relationship between the immigrant generation and the generation born in the diaspora.

She told Al Jazeera Net, although I visited more than fifty countries in the world, but I did not visit Afghanistan, but I got a lot of information from sources of knowledge over three years and an Afghan friend, a university professor.

Atrash explained that the novel "spotted Afghan society and specifically the mystical atmosphere in Afghanistan, on the other hand revealed the emergence of fanatics who destroyed the heritage of the country that founded the opera house early."

On the absence of major issues in the novel, Atrash said that the major issues are not only national, but humanitarian issues because they are major issues for the individual, pointing out that the important issue in the current protests in Lebanon is the issue of hunger, unemployment and corruption, which has become a major issue.

Al-Atrash pointed out that the prize's advantage in the horizons it offers to the Arabic novel through its translation of living languages ​​and its wide readability, as well as in its publication about publishing houses are spread and respected.

Observatory for reading and writing
Literary critic professor Dean of Arts University of Philadelphia critic Mohammed Obeidallah won the prize of critical studies "novel biography heterosexual", addressing the issues of form, intertextuality and historical and imaginary controversy in the novel "Me: Nights Isis Kobia" by Algerian Wasini lame.

Obaidullah told Al Jazeera Net that "Katara" during its five seasons presented a qualitative experience that combines awarding, publishing, criticism seminars, issuing magazines and publications, holding training workshops, in addition to the translation of fiction works, which represent new opportunities for Arab creators, and provide the Arab cultural scene with new sophisticated mechanisms. Cultural work in general.

The award represents a prestigious observatory used by readers and followers to categorize writings and writings and to know the new in the march of the Arabic novel and criticism, and thus contribute to the attention of the attention of the works of interest, expressing his happiness to put his work to the attention of Katara, as well as recognition of excellence at the Arab level .

Introducing the writer and his producer
The winner of the Arabic novel, "Al-Wazr Al-Maleh," Magdi Daibes, said, "We are in the time of the novel."

He added to Al Jazeera Net that winning represents a beautiful feeling that the novel will be read by a large number of readers and receive the attention of critics, and certainly Katara is an important station for the young writer and open a lot of prospects. By its standards and credibility, she assured him of the maturity of experience, and is an impetus for young novelists to look for new topic, technique and style.

The novel needs courage
Thaerah Aqrabawi, winner of Hajar, Palestine, Kuwait and Beyond in a previous session (2018), said that her novel deals with the autobiography (Mom and Dad) and focuses on the Nakba experienced by the Palestinians in 1948 and the setback in 1967, and their frequent migration, during which she is exposed to a number of events. Which relates to the Iraqi war and the events of Lebanon and before Jordan, pointing out that the most important thing that distinguishes the novel is "daring and away from ambiguity and symbolism, description and non-productive dialogues, and focus on criticism and message."

And about the imagination in the novel, I showed the island Net that it was as far as the requirements of fiction without dumping or complexity, which is not inclined to science fiction because we say "we have issues beyond imagination."

Aqrabawi says there are many novels about science fiction and romantic issues common to young people, but she believes that the novel needs courage "who was not brave does not write."

Beginnings of success
Ahmed al-Rahahala, a professor of modern literature and criticism at Al-Balqa Applied University, winner of the critical study prize for "Transformations of Time Structure in Digital Narratives ... Mohammed Snagleh's Novels as a Model", told Al Jazeera Net that literary studies dealing with the novel have witnessed an unprecedented explosion in its techniques, readings and excavations. The award contributed to revealing a lot of modern and distinctive suggestions on the level of Arab criticism and real talents, pointing out that it provided the Arab library with a number of serious and important studies.

He added that the presence of young people in the "Katara" will reflect positively on the march of creative young people and give them the incentive to blow their energies and talents, but the award to give them a start to achieve success while increasing the burden on young people.

New Literature
The novelist Mohammed Sanajleh said that the traveler is a follower of the experience of digital literature, expressing his thanks for dealing with his experience, pointing out that such work sheds light on the new literature that benefited from contemporary technologies and contributes to its spread.

The future of the novel and youth
Novelist and media figure Ahmed Tarawneh said that the allocation of the Katara Youth Awards creates fertile soil and provides a space where the doors of competition are not closed to them.

It is an experience - as Tarawneh tells Al Jazeera Net - perhaps it can offer new language experiences and topics of interest to the large segment of young Arabs who make up more than 50% of the population and represent at the same time the future of society, pointing out that the narrative does not depend on codification The past, but open to the future written by young writers dreams and concerns.