TEHRAN – Several translations from Persian literature have been honored at the Sixth Sheikh Hamad Awards for Translation and International Understanding (SHATIU) in Doha, Qatar.

In the category of translation from Persian into Arabic, “The Desert” (“Al-Sahra”) by Hasan al-Sarraf received first prize. The book features articles by Iranian scholar Ali Shariati, the organizers announced on Tuesday.

“The Zaydiya in Iran” (“Al-Zaydiyah fi Iran”) translated by Mustafa Ahmad al-Bakkur. The original book has been authored by Muhammad Kazim Rahmati.

The Zaydiyya are a branch of Shia Islam, often termed “moderate” or even “the practical group of the Shia,” that diverged from other Shia factions in the course of the dispute over the succession to the imamate that followed the death of the fourth imam, Hazrat Ali Zayn al-Abidin (AS) in 713.

Third prize went to “A History of Persian Literature” (“Tarikh al-Adab al-Farisi”) translated by Basil Ahmad Adnawi. 

Authored by Ahmad Tamimari, the book gives a comprehensive image of the tender subtleties and rich scope of Persian literature. It zooms in on the intellectual and philosophical: peripatetic, illuminative, mystical, theological and combinative philosophy, and the five literary period schools. It also briefly introduces various Persian poetic styles including Khorasani, the middle, Vuqu, Indian, restorational and contemporary styles.

“From the History of Iranian Literature” (“Min Madi al-Adab al-Irani”) translated by Sadiq Khursha won third prize. The book has been written by Abdohussein Zarrinkoub.

The category of translation from Arabic into Persian had no winner for first prize, while second prize was awarded to “The Druze of Belgrade” (“Duruz Bilgrad”) translated by Sadeq Darabi.

Authored by Lebanese novelist Rabi Jaber, “The Druze of Belgrade” draws from the history of the writer’s birthplace. He tells the story of Druze fighters exiled from Lebanon after the bloody Mount Lebanon civil war of 1860 between Christians and Druze. The novel opens when a Christian man, Hanna Jacobs, is captured along with the exiled Druze in a case of mistaken identity.

The novel won the Arabic Booker prize in 2012.

Third prize went to “Frankenstein in Baghdad” (“Frankshtayn fi Baghdad”), a novel written by Iraqi writer Ahmed Saadawi. Amal Nabhani is the translator of the book into Persian.

From the rubble-strewn streets of U.S.-occupied Baghdad, Hadi, a scavenger and an oddball fixture at a local café, collects human body parts and stitches them together to create a corpse. 

His goal, he claims, is for the government to recognize the parts as people and to give them proper burial. But when the corpse goes missing, a wave of eerie murders sweeps the city, and reports stream in of a horrendous-looking criminal who, though shot, cannot be killed.

Hadi soon realizes he’s created a monster, one that needs human flesh to survive first from the guilty, and then from anyone in its path.

It won the IPAF award for 2014. The novel was translated into English by Jonathan Wright.

Qatar established the Sheikh Hamad Awards for Translation and International Understanding (SHATIU) in 2015 “to honor translators and acknowledge their role in strengthening the bonds of friendship and cooperation among peoples and nations of the world,” the organizers have said.

“The award also aspires to inculcate a culture of knowledge and dialogue, promote Arab and Islamic culture, develop international understanding and encourage mature cross-cultural interaction between Arabic and other world languages through the medium of translation.”

The total value of the award is $2,000,000, divided into three categories: translation prizes ($800,000), achievement prizes ($1,000,000), and prizes for international understanding ($200,000).

Earlier in 2017, Iran’s Center for the Great Islamic Encyclopedia in Tehran was honored with a $100,000- prize at the Sheikh Hamad Award for Translation and International Understanding.

Photo: A combination photo shows the Arabic translations of “From the History of Iranian Literature” by Sadiq Khursha and “The Desert” by Hasan al-Sarraf.

MMS/YAW