Syrian writer Hamad Abboud has been shortlisted for the 2017 International Literature Prize in Germany, the third time in the history of the award an Arabic writer is chosen among the finalists after Elias Khoury from Lebanon and Yasmina Khadra from Algeria.
Abboud was shortlisted for his collection, titled “Death Bakes a Birthday Cake.” The book was translated into German language by German translator Larissa Bender.
The accolade is awarded every year for contemporary literature from all over the world in top-notch German translation. It is being presented for the ninth time in 2017 by the Haus der Kulturen der Welt, Germany’s center for international cultures, and the Elementarteilchen Foundation.
A panel of judges on Monday selected six books to run for the Prize. In addition to Abboud, the list included Alberto Barrera Tyszka from Venezuela, Amanda Lee Koe from Singapore, Han Kang from South Korea, Fiston Mwanza Mujila from Congo, and Ziemowit Szczerek from the Ukraine.
Born in 1987 in Syria, Abboud fled his home country in 2012, traveling to Austria via Egypt, Dubai and Turkey. He now lives in Vienna. (Source: Syrian Coalition’s Media Department + Agencies)
