Abdellatif Laábi’s novel “Beyond the Barbed Wire” is finalist for the 2020 Neustadt International Prize for Literature.
Awarded once in every two years, the Neustadt International Prize for Literature is sponsored by the University of Oklahoma and its literary publication, World Literature Today. The prize worth $50,000, is awarded to a living writer anywhere in any genre, it was first won in 1970 by Italian poet, Giuseppe Ungaretti.
The nine finalists for this year’s prize include; Emmanuel Carrère (France, The Adversary), Jorie Graham (United States, Fast), Jessica Hagedorn (Philippines / United States, Dogeaters), Eduardo Halfón (Guatemala, Mourning), Ismail Kadare (Albania, Broken April), Sahar Khalifeh (Palestine, Wild Thorns), Abdellatif Laâbi (Morocco, Beyond the Barbed Wire), Lee Maracle (Canada, Celia’s Song), Hoa Nguyen (Vietnam / United States, Red Juice).
The winner of this year’s prize will be announced on the 16th of October, at the 2019 Neustadt Literary Festival.
