The General Secretariat of the Sheikh Zayed Book Award has announced its winners for the year (2010-2011) on Wednesday, March 02, 2011. The winners of the of the Sheikh Zayed Book Award in its Fifth round were named in five categories; "Cultural Personality of the Year", "Best Contribution to the Development of Nations", "Best Book in Literature", "Best Book in Translation", and "Children's Literature". Awards for the other four categories; "the Young Author", "Fine Arts", "Publishing and Distribution" and "Best Technology in the Field of Culture" were withheld this year because none of the nominations in these categories met the required standards.The Award's Advisory Council named Chinese Orientalist Chung Jikon as the “Cultural Personality of the Year”, in recognition of his generous contribution, for more than fifty years, to establishing the Arabic language in the Far East, through teaching, translation and research.
Dr Abdel Raouf Sinno was awarded the “Best Contribution to the Development of Nations” Award for his book, Harb Lubnan 1975-1990 (Lebanon's War 1975-1990: The Disintegration of State and Society, in 2 volumes), which accurately documents the period from 1975 until 1990 in the history of Lebanon, and provides an in-depth scientific analysis of the root causes of the disintegration of the state, the social disruption, and the subsequent dissolution of cultural and economic structures in Lebanon during its civil war.
The “Best Book in Literature” Award went to Dr Mohammed Bin Al Ghazwani Muftah from Morocco for his book Mafaheem Muwasa’a Li Nazaryah Shi’ryah ( Developed Concepts of a Poetic Theory: Language, Music and Movement, in 3 volumes).The Award’s Advisory Council considered this book an encyclopedic study, where the author successfully combined descriptive, analytical and exploratory methodologies in one scientific study of linguistics, music and psychology, in an attempt to establish the nucleus of an independent theory that links poetry to the interpretation of phenomena in the Universe.
Dr. Mohammad Ziyad Kibbeh from Syria won the "Best Book in Translation" Award for his book Al Tharwah wa Iqtisad Al Ma’rifah - Translated from the English book Revolutionary Wealth, by Alvin and Heidi Toffler. The translated reference tackles critical contemporary quandaries that control modern human thinking mechanisms. The winning translator has succeeded in communicating the essence of the original script through his excellent use of language. His translated book is considered an essential reference in this field.
The Award for "Children’s Literature" was given to Dr. Afaf Tabbalah from Egypt, for her book Al Bayt Wal Nakhlah (The House and the Palm Tree). The winning book delivers a sophisticated discourse that differs from the children’s literature “mainstream”. In her book, Tabbalah tries to leave ample room for adolescent readers to reconsider their surroundings in light of what they read. The story-telling narrative style of the book successfully manages to open new imaginative horizons for its young readers, allowing them to make logical conclusions that complement their emotions and spiritual feelings.