The Sheikh Zayed Book Award (SZBA), organised by the Abu Dhabi Arabic Language Centre (ALC), has welcomed four new members to its Scientific Committee: Jordanian-American academic Dr Khaled Al Masri, Saudi academic and researcher Dr Munira Al Ghadeer, Egyptian researcher and author Dr Reem Bassiouney, and Turkish translator and academic Dr Mehmet Hakki Suçin. The decision to restructure the Committee forms part of the Award’s continuous commitment to renew and refresh the ideas and opinions presented, drive sustainability, and bring in Arab and international scientific expertise.
HE Dr Ali bin Tamim, Chairman of ALC and Secretary-General of SZBA, said: "The Award aims to constantly enrich its Scientific Committee with internationally acclaimed academics and literary figures who can sustain its legacy and provide fresh perspectives and specialised expertise. We thank the former members of the Committee for their inspiring contributions that have elevated the Award’s status globally, and we eagerly anticipate the creative and innovative ideas and initiatives from the new experts, renowned for their scholarly, intellectual, and cultural achievements".
Dr Khaled Al Masri, Professor in the Department of Modern Languages and Literatures at Swarthmore College, in Pennsylvania, USA, said: "I am honoured to be a member of this distinguished committee. I eagerly look forward to collaborating with my esteemed colleagues to advance the Award's noble mission of supporting human thought, celebrating creativity and excellence, and fostering meaningful knowledge. I will make every effort to uphold the highest standards of scientific rigor to leave a tangible impact on the intellectual scene".
Dr Al Masri has worked as a professor at the University of Virginia and Harvard University, and as a visiting scholar at Harvard’s Center for Middle Eastern Studies. His translations and research have been published in American and British journals. He has translated two books into English: one on the Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque, and the other providing an oral history of the United Arab Emirates. His research focuses on the intersections of war, migration, and gender in modern Arabic short stories and novels.
Meanwhile, Professor Munira Al Ghadeer, who serves as UNESCO Chair in Translating Cultures at King Faisal Center for Research and Islamic Studies, noted: "I am honoured to be chosen to serve on the Scientific Committee for the 19th edition of the Sheikh Zayed Book Award. This esteemed Award has a long history of recognising and rewarding exceptional authors worldwide. I am confident that the committee will uphold the highest standards of excellence and select winners who truly embody the spirit of the Award".
Dr Al Ghadeer has held a series of academic positions at prestigious universities, the latest of which is Chair Professor in Comparative Literature and Literary Theory at Harvard University. She was also a visiting professor in the Department of Middle Eastern Studies at Columbia University. She has been invited to deliver 40 lectures, chaired sessions, and presented academic papers at 50 international conferences.
Egyptian author Dr Reem Bassiouney said: "I am delighted to be joining the Scientific Committee of the Sheikh Zayed Book Award for the 2024-2025 edition. It is a highly significant award that has made remarkable contributions in supporting Arab culture and fostering writers and creative minds".
Dr Bassiouney is also a professor and chair of the linguistics department at the American University in Cairo since 2013. She earned a master’s degree and a PhD in sociolinguistics from Oxford University in the UK in 1998 and 2002, respectively. Dr Bassiouney has authored a collection of novels, which were all published in several editions. Most of her works topped the best-seller list and were translated by Dr Roger Allen, who also worked on the novels of the great Naguib Mahfouz.
Turkish academic and translator Mehmet Hakki Suçin expressed his happiness at joining the SZBA Scientific Committee, saying: "Throughout its journey, the Sheikh Zayed Book Award has provided a rich and valuable experience, contributing towards intellectual development, supporting creators and researchers, and establishing an inspiring research and creative environment".
Dr Suçin is a Turkish academic, translator, and Arabist. He is the head of the Arabic Language Department at Gazi University in Ankara, Turkey. Suçin has a master’s degree in Arabic literature and a PhD in translation between Arabic and Turkish. He chaired the committee that developed the Arabic language curricula currently used in Turkey and also designed an Arabic language curriculum for non-native speakers in Europe. For the past 10 years, Dr Suçin has run literary translation workshops between Arabic and Turkish in Turkey and abroad. He has published translations of classic and modern Arabic literature into Turkish. His studies focus on Arabic literature, translation studies, methods of teaching Arabic to non-native speakers, and creative drama.
Chaired by HE Dr Ali bin Tamim, the SZBA Scientific Committee welcomes these new members to its group of prominent Arab and international academics and authors, namely HE Saeed Hamdan Al Tunaiji, Executive Director of the ALC; Juergen Boos, President and CEO of the Frankfurt Book Fair, Dr Nadia El Cheikh, Lebanese academic and researcher and Jordanian-German translator Dr Mustafa Slaiman.
