International Prize for Arabic Fiction Winner

It isn’t up on their site yet, but our man on the inside tells us that the winner of the 2008/2009 International Prize for Arabic Fiction is Yusuf Ziedan for BEELZEBUB.

I don’t know much about the book I’m afraid, but here’s the description from the IPAF site:

Set in fifth century Upper Egypt, Alexandria and northern Syria, Egyptian author Yussef Zeydan’s story unfolds during a critical point in Christian history. Focusing on the period following the Roman Empire’s adoption of the ‘new’ religion, the novel highlights the subsequent internal doctrinal conflicts rising amongst the fathers of the Church on the one hand, and between the ‘new’ believers and receding paganism on the other.

Congrats to Mr. Ziedan, and to the prize as well. We hope some good publicity, and some translations, come out of it.