Palestine Book Awards 2017 - Shortlist Announced

The Middle East Monitor (MEMO) is pleased to announce the books shortlisted for its 2017 Palestine Book Awards.

This prestigious event, now in its sixth year, is an annual project that honours and celebrates books in English about Palestine. It is, equally, an attempt to encourage authors and publishers to produce more books on Palestine.

2017 has been another successful year with a total of 41 books submitted for consideration. The shortlist winners selected by the judges have added to the diversity of submissions and genres featuring the Palestinian narrative.

View the press release in Arabic

The 2017 shortlisted authors are:

• Ibtisam Barakat:Balcony on the Moon (FSG Macmillan)
• Petter Bauck and Mohammed Omer:The Oslo Accords (The American University in Cairo Press)
• Ahlam Bsharat:Code Name Butterfly (Neem Tree Press Ltd)
• Bjora Brenner:Gaza under Hamas: From Islamic Democracy to Islamist Governance (I.B. Tauris)
• Ben Ehrenreich:The Way to the Spring (Granta Publications)
• Samia Halaby:Drawing the Kafr Qassem Massacre (Schilt Publishing)
• Ilan Pappe:The Biggest Prison on Earth: A history of the Occupied Territories (Oneworld Publications)
• Laila Parsons:The Commander: Fawzi Al-Qawuqji and the fight for Arab Independence 1914-1948 (Saqi Books)
• Ella Shohat:On the Arab-Jew, Palestine, and other displacements (Pluto Press)

This year, the judges are:

• Haifa Zangana – Author and journalist
• Alan Waddams – EU Diplomat and MAP Chairman
• Dr Faysal Mikdadi – Author
• Dr Ibrahim Darwish – Academic and Journalist
• Subhi Hadidi – Literary critic and political commentator

The winners will be announced on the evening of the Awards dinner, which will be held on Friday 24 November, at the Hilton London Paddington Hotel. There will also be an evening with the shortlisted authors at the P21 Gallery on 23 November chaired by Professor Eugene Rogan (St Anthony’s College, Oxford).

MEMO offers its heartiest congratulations to the finalists and gratitude to all those who have submitted their work for consideration and to the judges.