Chinese Orientalist Wins 'Cultural Personality of the Year'
ABU DHABI, UAE, March 2, 2011 /PRNewswire/ --
- Sheikh Zayed Book Award Announces its 5th Year Winners
The Sheikh Zayed Book Award, one of the most prestigious and well-funded prizes in the Arab World, announced its winners for the year (2010-2011) .The winners were named in five distinct categories, while four other categories were withheld for this year.
(Logo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20110302/441367 )
The Winners for 2010-2011 as per Award's Categories are:
Category Winner Nationality Title Publisher
Cultural Chung Jikon Chinese - -
Personality of
the Year
Best Abdel Raouf Lebanon "Harb Arab
Contribution to Sinno Lubnan Scientific
the Development 1975-1990" Publishers,
of Nations Inc.
Lebanon.
Best Book in Mohammad Miftah Morocco "Mafaheem Center for
Literature Muwasa'a Arab
Li Culture.
Nazaryah Lebanon
Shi'ryah"
Best Book in Mohammad Ziyad Syria "Al King Saud
Translation Kebbe Tharwah wa University
Iqtisad Al (KSU) Saudi
Ma'rifah" Arabia.
Children's Afaf Tabalah Egypt "Al Bayt Nahdet
Literature Wal Misr,
Nakhlah". Publishing.
Cairo.
The announcement of winners came after discussions at large between the Award's Higher Committee and Advisory Council of the results submitted by the judging panels across the Award's nine Categories. The judges independently evaluated a total of 715 nominations received in this year's session and submitted their evaluations against a stringent, quantifiable scoring criterion to ensure the decision is truly reflective of their independent and expert views.
The award - carrying the name of Sheikh Zayed Bin Sultan Al Nahyan, who served as the ruler of Abu Dhabi and president of the UAE for over 30 years - was established in 2006 to foster greater scholarship and creativity by recognizing and rewarding innovators and thinkers in areas of knowledge, arts and humanities.
The award recognizes cultural achievement across one of the broadest and most diverse areas of any cultural awards internationally. The "Cultural Personality of the Year" honours prominent figures for their unique contributions to the advancement of the Arabic culture, and for works that portray tolerance and promote peaceful coexistence.
"Professor Chung has implemented one of the finest models of cultural dialogue. The Award's Advisory Council decision came in recognition of his generous contribution for more than fifty years in rooting the Arabic language in the Far East, by teaching, translating and researching our region's culture and literature," Mr. Al Oraimi elaborated. "His translations and writings preserve the essence of our literature across continents, only wrapped in a different language."
Chung is the author of the 'History of Arabic Literature' encyclopedia, which comprises 1140 pages in two volumes. He currently works in various capacities, among which are Professor of Arabic Language in the University of Peking, head of Chinese Society for Arabic Literature Studies, vice president of the Culture Committee at the China-Arab Friendship Association, member of the Chinese Writers Association, and honorary member of the Arab Writers Union. He has also translated major works of iconic Arab novelists including Kahlil Jibran, Naguib Mahfouz, and Ih'san Abdul Quddus.
The winner of the Cultural Personality of the Award will receive a prize of one million Dirhams (around 272,242 US$, 215,007 Euros), a gold medal bearing the Sheikh Zayed Book Award logo, and a certificate of merit.
Winners in the Award's other categories will receive around US$ 204,182 (Euros 161,255), a gold medal and a certificate of merit.
The 2011 Sheikh Zayed Book Award Winners as per the Judges results succeeded for the below reasons:
1. Best Contribution to the Development of Nations - Dr. Abdel Raouf Sinno from Lebanon for his book "Harb Lubnan 1975-1990". The Award's Advisory Council's decision came in recognition of the value of the book as an accurate resource on the historical era of Lebanon from 1975 through 1990, providing an in-depth scientific analysis of the socio-economic circumstances leading to the disintegration of the country's structure, culture and economy.
2. Best Book in Literature: Dr. Mohammad Miftah from Morocco, for his book "Mafaheem Muwasa'a Li Nazaryah Shi'ryah" - comprises of three Volumes. The Award's Advisory Council's decision came in recognition of the immense value of the author's work, combining descriptive, analytical and exploratory methodologies in one scientific study of linguistics, music and psychology, in an attempt to establish a theory that links poetry to mysterious forces of the universe.
3. Best Book in Translation - Dr. Mohammad Ziyad Kibbeh from Syria, for his book "Al Tharwah wa Iqtisad Al Ma'rifah" - Translated from "Revolutionary Wealth" by Alvin and Heidi Toffler, Random House 2007. The translated reference offers solutions to critical contemporary quandaries which the winning translator has successfully communicated using excellent language while preserving the essence of the original script.
4. Children's Literature - Afaf Tabbalah from Egypt, for her book "Al Bayt Wal Nakhlah". The winning book was named a sophisticated diversion from the children's literature "mainstream". It explores the inner worlds of children, in a masterful story-telling style, leaving ample room for the young readers to view their surroundings in light of they read.
Meanwhile, awards for "Young Author", "Fine Arts", "Publishing and Distribution", and "Best Technology in the Field of Culture" were withheld for this session. "This year's nominations in these categories did not meet the Award's stringent standards and the Advisory Council opted to withhold them as a result," Al Oraimi explained.
The winner will be announced at the Sheikh Zayed Book Award Grand Ceremony wards ceremony to be held in The Emirates Palace in Abu Dhabi on March 16, 2011, parallel to the Abu Dhabi International Book Fair.
Notes to the Editor
- The award was established in memory of Sheikh Zayed Bin Sultan Al
Nahyan, who served as the ruler of Abu Dhabi and president of the UAE
for over 30 years
- Sheikh Zayed Book Award rewards innovators and thinkers in areas of
knowledge, arts and humanities. Winners are identified through
stringent scientific and objective principles to evaluate the merits
of their creative work.
- The award comprises a total monetary prize value of seven million UAE
dirhams. Each prize consists of a gold medal bearing the SZBA logo, a
certificate of merit. The Cultural Personality of the Year winner
receives a prize of one million dirhams, while the winners of the
other categories receive 750,000 dirhams
The Nine Categories of the Sheikh Zayed Book Award:
The award recognizes cultural achievement across one of the broadest and most diverse areas of any cultural awards internationally, including:
1. Contribution to the Development of Nations: Consists of works in the fields of economics, sociology, management, politics, law and theology that contribute to the country's advancement.
2. Children's Literature: Covers literary and cultural works addressing various children's groups
3. Young Author: Recognizes scientific, literary or cultural works produced by authors younger than 40 years
4. Translation: Includes translated works, either to or from Arabic
5. Literature: Represents works across various categories of literature including poetry, stories, novels and plays, research addressing literary theories, creative writings or works of criticism
6. Fine Arts: Covers books about various forms of art such as music, cinema, architecture, plastic art, calligraphy, painting, sculpture, photography and digital arts
7. Best Technology in the Field of Culture: Recognizes written or digital works and researches which promote the Arabic language.
8. Publishing and Distribution: Includes publishers, distributors and research institutions which produce a diverse range of texts printed to the highest standard
9. Cultural Personality of the Year: Honors a prominent Arab or international figure who has contributed to the advancement of the Arabic culture, embodies through his/her work tolerance and promotes peaceful coexistence
PREVIOUS WINNERS
2010 Winners:
1. Cultural Personality of the Year- His Highness Dr. Sheikh Sultan bin Mohamed Al-Qasimi- Member of the Supreme Council of the United Arab Emirates and Ruler of Sharjah
2. Best Contribution to the Development of Nations - withheld
3. Children's Literature - Qais Sedki - United Arab Emirates
4. Literature - retracted
5. Fine Arts - Iyad Hussein Abdullah - Iraq
6. Translation - Albert Habib Mutlaq - Lebanon
7. Young Author - Mohammad Al Mallakh - Morrocco
8. Publishing and Distribution - Nahdet Misr Publishing and Printing - Egypt
2009 Winners:
1. Best Contribution to the Development of Nations - Baqer Salman Al Najjar - Bahrain
2. Children's Literature - withheld
3. Literature - Jamal Al Ghitani - Egypt
4. Fine Arts - Maher Rady - Egypt
5. Translation - Sa'ad Abdulaziz Maslouh- Egypt
6. Young Author - Youcef Oughlici - Algeria
7. Cultural Personality of the Year - Pedro Martinez Montavez - Spain
8. Publishing and Distribution - Al-Dar Al-Masriah Al-Lubnaniah - Egypt
2008 Winners
Best Contribution to the Development of Nations - withheld
Children's Literature - Huda Al-Shawwa Qadoumi - Kuwait
Literature - Ibrahim Al Kaouni - Libya
Fine Arts - Rifat Al-Chaderji - Iraq
Translation - Fayiz Suyyagh - Jordan
Young Author - Mohammed Sa'di - Morrocco
Cultural Personality of the Year - H. E. Mohammed Bin Eissa - Morrocco
Contribution to Technology in the Field of Culture - withheld
Publishing and Distribution - Emirates Center for Strategic Studies and Research
2007 Winners:
Best Contribution to the Development of Nations - Bashir Mohamed Al-Khadra - Jordan
Children's Literature - Mohammed Ali Ahmad - Egypt
Literature - Waciny Laredj - Algeria
Fine Arts - Tharwat Ukhasha - Egypt
Translation - Georges Zinaty - Lebanon
Young Author - Mahmoud Zein Al-Abedeen - Syria
Cultural Personality of the Year - Denys Johnson-Davies - United Kingdom
Contribution to Technology in the Field of Culture - withheld
Publishing and Distribution - withheld
SOURCE Sheikh Zayed Book Award
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