Palestinian author Basim Khandaqji, who has been imprisoned by Israel since 2004, has been named as the winner of the 2024 International Prize for Arabic Fiction (IPAF) for his novel A Mask, the Colour of the Sky.
#IPAF / Basim Khandaqji’s “A Mask, the Colour of the Sky” shortlisted for The International Prize for Arabic Fiction
From his biography:
[…] He wrote short stories until his imprisonment when he was 21 years old, in 2004. Inside prison, he registered with Al-Quds University and completed university studies in Political Science with a thesis on Israeli Studies. He also continued writing, including articles about literature, politics, female Palestinian activists and prisoners inside Israeli prisons.
In response to Khandaqji's book nomination, the Israel Prison Service stated that "we do not recognize the book or the identity of its author. If it decided that a terrorist should be rewarded with a prize, it would be impossible to receive it," according to a KAN TV News reporter.