Celestial Bodies, written by Jokha Alharthi, an Omani writer and teacher which was translated by well-known translator Marilyn Booth from Arabic to English has been announced as the winner of the prestigious Man Booker International Prize 2019.
By winning this prize, Alharthi has become the first Arabic author to win the prize and the first Omani woman to have a novel translated into English.
The book has received a £50,000 prize, which celebrates the finest works of translated fiction from around the world, has been divided equally between its author and translator. The winner was announced at a ceremony at the Roundhouse in London.
Celestial Bodies is set in the village of al-Awafi in Oman, where the readers encounter three sisters: Mayya, who marries Abdallah after a heartbreak; Asma, who marries from a sense of duty; and Khawla who rejects all offers while waiting for her beloved, who has emigrated to Canada. These three women and their families witness Oman evolve from a traditional, slave-owning society which is slowly redefining itself after the colonial era, to the crossroads of its complex present. Elegantly structured and taut, it tells of Oman’s coming-of-age through the prism of one family’s losses and loves.
The judges have given their unanimous statement, calling the book ‘A richly imagined, engaging and poetic insight into a society in transition and into lives previously obscured.’
Indian essayist of international fame Pankaj Mishra was among the judges who evaluated the shortlisted candidates and declared Alharthi as the winner.