Adania Shibli, a Palestinian novelist, was scheduled to accept the “LiBeraturpreis” of the LitProm association, which honors female writers from the Global South for a work recently published in German, on October 20 at the Frankfurt Book Fair. Some critics gave Shibli’s book Minor Detail high praise.
Elisabeth Jaquette’s English translation, which was released in 2020, was longlisted for the International Booker Prize the following year and was shortlisted for the 2020 National Book Award for Translated Literature. Others, however, sharply denounced it for what they believed to be its support of antisemitic narratives.
In these times, can a book that portrays Israel as a killing machine be honored with awards? queried the Tagesanzeiger of Zurich. The discussion over how to handle literature that “allegedly brings anti-Israel and antisemitic sentiment into the cultural scene” is at the core of the article, which is being published in advance of the world’s largest book trade fair.
The German daily tabloid taz was critical following pictures of pro-Hamas joyous celebrations on Berlin’s streets over the weekend. “Instead of baklava for passers-by who rejoice at the deaths of Israeli civilians,” the newspaper states, “Prizes are also awarded to works that portray the state of Israel as a murder machine, to the applause of perhaps well-meaning donors.”
The LitProm group said in a statement announcing the award that Shibli’s novel was a “rigorously composed work of art that tells of the power of borders and of what violent conflicts make of people.”
Adania Shibli, who was born in 1974, splits her time between Berlin and Jerusalem. The Swiss university of Bern’s Friedrich Dürrenmatt Guest Professorship for World Literature was held by the Palestinian novelist in 2021. She is currently a writer-in-residence at the Literaturhaus Zurich.
Her book Minor Detail is divided into two halves. The first recounts the rape and murder of a Palestinian girl in the Negev Desert during the 1948 Arab-Israeli War.
Author consented to postponing the prize ceremony
The LitProm association has responded to the most recent events in the interim: “Due to the war in Israel,” it was decided “along with the author” to postpone the anticipated award presentation at the Frankfurt Book Fair, the organisation states on its website. The statement said, “No one feels like celebrating at the moment.”
The organization for the development of literature from Africa, Asia, and Latin America said that despite the criticism, it still intends to award its prize to Adania Shibli’s book Minor Detail. The authors’ organization PEN Berlin had previously addressed the book’s detractors. “No book becomes different, better, worse, or more dangerous because the news situation changes,” said PEN Berlin spokeswoman Eva Menasse……..
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