Doha, October 15 (QNA) – Winners of the 12th Katara Prize for Arabic Novel 2026 expressed pride in the recognition, saying it would open wider Arab and international horizons for their literary works through translation into other major languages.

In remarks to Qatar News Agency (QNA), they said the award would help their works reach more readers, expand translation and distribution opportunities, and strengthen Arab writers’ presence internationally amid rapid digital transformation.

Qatari novelist Khalaf Al Khalaf, winner for The Covenant and the Pact, said recognition at a prestigious international literary event was every writer’s aspiration.

His novel follows Muteb, a character facing multiple challenges who discovers his abilities and grows stronger and more ambitious despite illness and adversity.

Moroccan scholar Dr. Hamid Al Kettani, winner in the critical studies category for The Arabic Novel on the Threshold of Development: A Study in Historical Periodization, said his research examines the novel’s history and critical terminology.

It reconstructs the literary history of the Arabic novel and explores its emergence during the transition from classical to modern Arabic narrative in the late 19th and early 20th centuries.

It also reconsiders the critical terms used to describe the novel’s development from cultural and aesthetic perspectives, drawing on the Doha Historical Dictionary.

Palestinian novelist Huda Al Mashharawi said her award-winning novel reflects the Palestinian people’s creativity and cultural resilience.

Her work portrays a Palestinian born in a refugee camp in Lebanon and explores marginalization, loss and their psychological and social effects.

Yemeni writer Dr. Manal Taha, winner for Sunglasses, said her novel offers young readers a simple message about relationships: seeing them clearly helps people understand their true nature and build healthy connections.

Algerian novelist Khadija Telli, winner for The Tailor of Tolga, explained that Tolga is an oasis in Algeria’s Biskra Province.

Her novel follows Amjad, a boy passionate about heritage and the past, as he investigates the mystery surrounding a tailor depicted in an artwork.

She said the story explores memory, the fight against forgetting, and the connection between past and present through art. (QNA)