The International Jury and the General Secretariat of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) have named novelist Elias Khoury (Lebanon) and Professor of Arabic Literature and Civilization João Baptista de Medeiros Vargens (Brazil) as the winners of the Sharjah Prize for Arab Culture in its 10th round. The International Jury Panel is chaired by Italian Orientalist Isabella Camara.
A celebration to honor the prizewinners will be held at the UNESCO headquarters in Paris on February, 27, 2012, in cooperation with the Sharjah Department of Culture and Information (SDCI) and the Permanent Mission of the United Arab Emirates at the UNESCO.
It is worth mentioning that Elias Khoury (Lebanon) is a novelist, playwright, critic and academic. He authored tens of books, some of which have been translated into more than 13 languages. His writings aim to bridge the gap between different languages and cultures. He was awarded the Sultan Bin Ali Al Owais Cultural Award (10th session) in the "Short Story, Novel and Play" category. The second winner of the Sharjah Prize for Arab Culture; João Baptista de Medeiros Vargens (Brazil), is an editor, writer, translator, lexicologist and Professor of Arabic language and civilization. He is primarily interested in the influence of the Arabic language on Portuguese, and his writings highlight the impact and interactions of Arab and Muslim presence in Brazil. Twenty one candidates had competed for the prize, which is worth sixty thousand dollars.
The Prize aims to honor and reward the efforts of individuals, groups or institutions who highly contribute to the development, diffusion and promotion of Arab Culture in the world, and who contribute to the preservation and revival of Arab Cultural Heritage.
Within the framework of the prize distribution ceremony of the 10th edition of the Sharjah Prize for Arab Culture, two commemorative round tables will be organized on the themes of :" Art and Culture, Instruments of Peace", and " Arab Heritage and Multiculturalism", in cooperation with the Arab World Institute. The event will see the participation of leading intellectuals and the previous winners of the Sharjah Prize for Arab Culture.