Egyptian-Canadian novelist and journalist Omar El Akkad won the non-fiction prize at the annual National Book Awards in the US, while Lebanese writer Rabih Alameddine was named winner in the fiction category.
Often referred to as “the Oscars of book publishing”, the National Book Awards have been held since 1936 by the non-profit National Book Foundation, and has often served as a counter-voice to current events.
El Akkad's book, One Day, Everyone Will Have Always Been Against This, is his first work of non-fiction, written after the war in Gaza began, and accuses the western world of complicity in the Palestinian enclave’s destruction.
The book has been commended for blending memoir with political meditation and reportage, discussing how ideals of freedom and justice have collapsed under the guise of neutrality.
Receiving his award at Cipriani Wall Street event venue in Manhattan, El Akkad said it was hard to celebrate winning for a book that was written in response to a genocide.
“It’s difficult to think in celebratory terms when I spent two years seeing what shrapnel does to a child’s body,” he told the gathering of writers, publishers and editors, as reported by AP.
Palestine was also top of mind for Alameddine, who began his acceptance speech with a lament for the recent bombing of a refugee camp.
He mixed his pain with humour, joking about the demands of his agent, Nicole Aragi, and thanked everyone from his gastrointestinal doctor to the “psychiatrist who has been telling me to get over myself for more than 20 years.”
Alameddine's The True True Story of Raja the Gullible (and His Mother) is about a family's bond set within the chaos of modern Lebanon.
The novel follows a 63-year-old high school philosophy teacher, Raja, who lives with his controlling mother in a small Beirut apartment. One day, Raja is invited to a writing residency in the US, and he schemes to escape the private and national calamities that shape his life.
A third winner from the region is Iranian-American author Daniel Nayeri whose book, The Teacher of Nomad Land: A World War II Story, won for young people’s literature.
Elsewhere, Chicago-born Patricia Smith's The Intentions of Thunder won the poetry award, while Argentinian author Gabriela Cabezon Camara won the award for translated literature, for her book, We Are Green and Trembling, translated from the Spanish by Robin Myers.
Winners each receive $10,000.
Honorary awards were presented to fiction writer George Saunders and author-publisher-mentor Roxane Gay.
Scorebox
Dubai Sports City Eagles 7 Bahrain 88
Eagles
Try: Penalty
Bahrain
Tries: Gibson 2, Morete 2, Bishop 2, Bell 2, Behan, Fameitau, Sanson, Roberts, Bennett, Radley
Cons: Radley 4, Whittingham 5
How to apply for a drone permit
- Individuals must register on UAE Drone app or website using their UAE Pass
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What are the regulations?
- Fly it within visual line of sight
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THE BIO
Born: Mukalla, Yemen, 1979
Education: UAE University, Al Ain
Family: Married with two daughters: Asayel, 7, and Sara, 6
Favourite piece of music: Horse Dance by Naseer Shamma
Favourite book: Science and geology
Favourite place to travel to: Washington DC
Best advice you’ve ever been given: If you have a dream, you have to believe it, then you will see it.
If you go
Flying
Despite the extreme distance, flying to Fairbanks is relatively simple, requiring just one transfer in Seattle, which can be reached directly from Dubai with Emirates for Dh6,800 return.
Touring
Gondwana Ecotours’ seven-day Polar Bear Adventure starts in Fairbanks in central Alaska before visiting Kaktovik and Utqiarvik on the North Slope. Polar bear viewing is highly likely in Kaktovik, with up to five two-hour boat tours included. Prices start from Dh11,500 per person, with all local flights, meals and accommodation included; gondwanaecotours.com
What vitamins do we know are beneficial for living in the UAE
Vitamin D: Highly relevant in the UAE due to limited sun exposure; supports bone health, immunity and mood.
Vitamin B12: Important for nerve health and energy production, especially for vegetarians, vegans and individuals with absorption issues.
Iron: Useful only when deficiency or anaemia is confirmed; helps reduce fatigue and support immunity.
Omega-3 (EPA/DHA): Supports heart health and reduces inflammation, especially for those who consume little fish.
Silent Hill f
Publisher: Konami
Platforms: PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, PC
Rating: 4.5/5
Know your camel milk:
Flavour: Similar to goat’s milk, although less pungent. Vaguely sweet with a subtle, salty aftertaste.
Texture: Smooth and creamy, with a slightly thinner consistency than cow’s milk.
Use it: In your morning coffee, to add flavour to homemade ice cream and milk-heavy desserts, smoothies, spiced camel-milk hot chocolate.
Goes well with: chocolate and caramel, saffron, cardamom and cloves. Also works well with honey and dates.
Who's who in Yemen conflict
Houthis: Iran-backed rebels who occupy Sanaa and run unrecognised government
Yemeni government: Exiled government in Aden led by eight-member Presidential Leadership Council
Southern Transitional Council: Faction in Yemeni government that seeks autonomy for the south
Habrish 'rebels': Tribal-backed forces feuding with STC over control of oil in government territory
More from Rashmee Roshan Lall
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UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
HIV on the rise in the region
A 2019 United Nations special analysis on Aids reveals 37 per cent of new HIV infections in the Mena region are from people injecting drugs.
New HIV infections have also risen by 29 per cent in western Europe and Asia, and by 7 per cent in Latin America, but declined elsewhere.
Egypt has shown the highest increase in recorded cases of HIV since 2010, up by 196 per cent.
Access to HIV testing, treatment and care in the region is well below the global average.
Few statistics have been published on the number of cases in the UAE, although a UNAIDS report said 1.5 per cent of the prison population has the virus.
MATCH INFO
Manchester United 1 (Rashford 36')
Liverpool 1 (Lallana 84')
Man of the match: Marcus Rashford (Manchester United)
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