Haruki Murakami is Zayed Book Award's Cultural Personality of the Year

Under the patronage of His Highness Sheikh Mohamed Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, President of the UAE, the Abu Dhabi Arabic Language Centre (ALC) announced the winners and Cultural Personality of the Year for the 19th edition of the Sheikh Zayed Book Award (SZBA).

The Sheikh Zayed Book Award honoured renowned Japanese author Haruki Murakami as the Cultural Personality of the Year, in recognition of his creative career and widespread literary influence, unbound by borders, impacting both Arab and Western cultures. His works are widely read and translated around the world, reflecting literature’s ability to bring differing cultures closer together.

Murakami is one of the most prominent and popular contemporary novelists, with millions of copies of his novels printed every year and translated into numerous languages, including Arabic.

His literature is characterised by its universality, expressing human concerns that transcend cultural boundaries, with a unique blend of Japanese literature and international influences. His writings are renowned for their ability to explore issues of identity, belonging, and individual freedom in a distinctive narrative style that combines realism and fantasy.

The winner of the Cultural Personality of the Year award is presented with a gold medal, a certificate of appreciation, and a prize of Dhs1 million, while winners in the other categories receive a prize of Dhs750,000, along with a gold medal and a certificate of appreciation, in honour of their outstanding creative and intellectual contributions.

The winners and Cultural Personality of the Year for the 19th edition of the Sheikh Zayed Book Award will be honoured on Monday 28 April, in a ceremony organised by the ALC in parallel with the 34th Abu Dhabi International Book Fair (ADIBF).

Board of Trustees meeting

The announcement followed a meeting of the SZBA Board of Trustees, which discussed the final results of the evaluation process led by the judging panels and the award’s Scientific Committee, based on the highest literary and cultural standards.

This year’s winners hail from seven countries around the world, including the UK, Italy, Japan, Lebanon, Iraq, Morocco and the UAE.

The selection of the winners was based on objective, scientific criteria and rigorous governance upheld by the award.

The meeting was headed by Sheikh Sultan Bin Tahnoon Al Nahyan, Chairman of the SZBA Board of Trustees, and attended by Board members Dr. Zaki Anwar Nusseibeh, Cultural Adviser to H.H. the UAE President; Mohamed Khalifa Al Mubarak, Chairman of the Department of Culture and Tourism - Abu Dhabi (DCT Abu Dhabi); Saood Abdulaziz Al Hosani, Undersecretary of the DCT Abu Dhabi; Abdullah Majid Al Ali, Director General of the National Archives and Library; Dr. Ali Bin Tamim, Chairman of the ALC and Secretary General of the SZBA; and Abdulrahman Al Naqbi, Director of the ALC’s Literary Awards Department.

Spirit of excellence

Mohamed Khalifa Al Mubarak, DCT Abu Dhabi Chairman, said: “Congratulations to this year’s outstanding winners. Their contributions reflect the spirit of excellence, creativity and cultural dialogue that the Sheikh Zayed Book Award celebrates, which will continue to inspire future generations and enrich the literary landscape. With its forward-looking vision and pledge to the highest standards of evaluation and governance, the Sheikh Zayed Book Award reinforces the UAE’s position as a global centre for creativity and knowledge. It has moved beyond being a simple act of recognition to become a strategic national initiative promoting the production of knowledge, and a catalyst for a cultural and scientific movement, reflecting our leadership's commitment to culture and knowledge as cornerstones of sustainable development and human prosperity.”

ALC Chairman and Secretary General of the SZBA Dr. Ali Bin Tamim noted: “I congratulate the winners of the 19th edition of the Sheikh Zayed Book Award for their outstanding achievements, which have contributed to the enrichment of the Arab and international cultural scene. Their works were inspiring, tackling new and distinguished topics that delve deep into the human condition and shed light on time and history, which made them stand out to the Award organisers and earn their admiration. This year’s edition recorded unprecedented competition, reflecting the pioneering and prestigious status of the Award, which, over the past year, was able to attract distinguished literary and scientific works that have made valuable contributions to the Arab, regional, and global libraries.”

Bin Tamim also congratulated the Cultural Personality of the Year — Haruki Murakami — adding that renowned Japanese novelist has truly merited this accolade for his body of literary work, characterised by its unique style, between fantasy and extreme realism.

Bin Tamim noted that the author’s literature and writings have made a profound influence far beyond Japan, and his selection this year reaffirms the Award’s determination to connect various cultures and civilisations through dialogue, literature, and intellectual thought.

It also highlights its commitment to celebrating creative minds from around the world, cementing its pioneering role in enriching the global cultural and literary scene.

Sheikh Zayed Book Award winners in 2025

Lebanese/French author Hoda Barakat won the Sheikh Zayed Book Award in the Literature category for her novel ‘Hind or the Most Beautiful Woman in the World’, published by Dar Aladab in 2024.

The novel explores a new and contemporary idea, revolving around the female protagonist who suffers from acromegaly. With a reflective narrative voice, it investigates the life of people who live on the margins of society.

Barakat examines the psychological and physical challenges these individuals face, exploring beauty standards in various cultures through complex characters and a rich, analytical, and human-centric voice.

Meanwhile, Moroccan writer Latifa Labsir won the Children’s Literature category for her book ‘The Phantom of Sabiba’, released by Markaz Kitab in 2024.

Highlighting autism

The book addresses the topic of autism, using a sensitive voice that speaks to children and youth. Narrated from the perspective of an elder sister telling the story of her autistic brother, the novel highlights the need for public awareness and a positive approach to autism, using a refined, artistic style that combines narrative aesthetic and a deep educational message.

In the Translation category, Marco Di Branco from Italy won for his translation from Arabic to English of ‘Orosius’ by Paulus Orosius, published by Pisa University Press in 2024.

The publication is a notable scientific achievement that brings a classical work to life that had previously been translated from Latin to Arabic before being translated into English in a tone that makes it easier for readers – including Arabic readers – to understand. The book includes the Arabic and English versions, offering a valuable reference to study Arab cultural exchange with other civilisations.

Dr. Said Laouadi from Morocco received the SZBA in the Literary and Art Criticism category for his book ‘Food and Language: Cultural Excavations in Arab Heritage’ published in 2023 by Afrique Orient.

His work offers a critique of the complex relation between rhetoric and food in Arab heritage, analysing literary texts from poetry to proverbs and stories from a broad cultural perspective. With its in-depth analysis and broad scope, his research enriches rhetorical studies with new, unconventional approaches.

Meanwhile, the Contribution to the Development of Nations category saw Emirati Prof. Dr. Mohammed Bechari win for his book ‘The Right to Strive: Perspectives on Muslim Women’s Rights’, issued in 2024 by Nahdet Misr Publishing.

The book provides a jurisprudential and foundational study of the concept of “striving and effort” in Islam, highlighting its ability to adapt to modern social developments. It reinforces involving women as equal partners in society, in a straightforward academic approach backed by credible sources, which makes it a notable addition to Arab and international libraries.

UK researcher Andrew Peacock won in the Arab Culture in Other Languages category for his book ‘Arabic Literary Culture in Southeast Asia in the Seventeenth and Eighteenth Centuries’, published by Brill in 2024.

The book offers a scientific study shedding light on the spread of Arabic language and culture in southeast Asia, and its relation to Sufi philosophy and the official discourses of rulers in that region.

It opens up new areas of research into the impact of Arab culture beyond its traditional context, making it an invaluable source for researchers in this field.

In the Editing of Arabic Manuscripts category, the SZBA went to Rasheed Alkhayoun from Iraq/UK for his critical edition of the book ‘News of Women’, published by the King Faisal Centre for Research and Islamic Studies in 2024.

The book is a rare resource on the subject, featuring advanced scientific research where the editor exhibited a deep understanding of the text and its historicity. The book provides a valuable contribution to literary and historical studies, and is considered one of the first global collections of women's works.

Over 4,000 applications from 75 nations

Organised by the Abu Dhabi Arabic Language Centre, the award’s 19th edition received a record-breaking number of submissions, with over 4,000 applications sent in from 75 countries, including 20 Arab nations. Five countries participated in the award for the first time this year, namely Albania, Bolivia, Colombia, Trinidad and Tobago, and Mali.

The Sheikh Zayed Book Award is one of the most prominent independent literary and academic prizes. It adds notable value to the global cultural scene, supporting publishing and translation and honouring creators, thinkers, and publishers for their accomplishments in research, writing, and translation. Moreover, the Award plays a key role in encouraging cultural diversity and building bridges between civilisations, driven by its vision to promote dialogue, openness, and knowledge exchange among nations.