In 2024, publishing house Dar Al Adab published world-acclaimed novelist Hoda Barakat’s novel Hind, or the Most Beautiful Woman in the World, which later went on to win the 2025 Sheikh Zayed Book Award in the Literature category. Dar Al Adab, founded in Lebanon in 1956, is a very highly regarded publisher in the Arab world, and is known for publishing many novelists who have gone on to win international awards and critical acclaim.
As well as a generous prize fund, the Sheikh Zayed Book Award makes funding available for all shortlisted and winning authors’ work to be translated into other languages through its Translation Grant of up to $19,000. This means that Hoda Barakat’s award-winning work is now eligible for translation funding into any language, giving the opportunity for international publishing houses to publish the novel.
The Award accepts international submissions in categories such as Arab Culture in Other Languages, Translation, Arabic Manuscript Editing, and Publishing & Technology. These offer the opportunity for publishers of books relating to the Arab world to have their work recognised on the global stage.
Below, Rana Idriss, the General Manager of Dar Al Adab, weighs in on the impact that publishing a Sheikh Zayed Book Award-winning title will have on her publishing house, and reflects on the current market for Arabic fiction.
What is special about Hoda’s book and what made you publish it?
Hoda Barakat’s novel Hind, or the Most Beautiful Woman in the World highly impressed our reading committee at Dar al Adab. Hind, an extremely beautiful child, suffers from a rapid growth disease, acromegaly, transforming her into a monster, to the extent that her mother can’t bear to look at her and locks her in the attic. Between Beirut and Paris, Hind searches for beauty, for meaning and for love. The text is well crafted and profound in its echoes and its narrative layers.
Why do you think Hoda’s book will interest international readers?
Hoda’s novel should easily gain international interest for several reasons: the universality of its themes, namely the experiences of loss, identity, longing, worth, mental health and struggle against societal norms (in particular related to beauty). Readers from diverse backgrounds can relate to the protagonist’s search for acceptance. At the same time the text will be intriguing for the international reader as it explores different dynamics of personal and family relationships in Lebanon.
How do you think winning the Sheikh Zayed Book Award will help the book find new readers?
The Sheikh Zayed book Award is recognised for playing a significant role in promoting excellent literature in the Arab World and internationally. It also offers translation grants for winning titles, an important factor for many publishing houses and literary agencies worldwide. The Award hosts events, literary discussions and gatherings, providing opportunities for Arab and international readers to discover Hoda’s work. The media coverage was indeed very impressive during the Award ceremony.
Can you tell us about the international appetite for Arabic literature?
We have witnessed an increasing international appetite for Arabic literature lately. During the Sharjah professional program in 2024 we succeeded in selling translation rights in 7 different languages for Bassem Khandakji’s novel A Mask, the Color of the Sky (published by Dar Al Adab) which won the International Prize for Arabic Fiction 2024. At least 6 other translation rights for our novels were acquired as well that same year.
No doubt the current political context and its complexity have awakened the interest of international readers and publishers seeking to understand better the dynamics of the Arab region and to explore underrepresented narratives that challenge stereotypes.
