A Palestinian novelist, held in Israeli prisons since 2004, was honored yesterday Sunday with the International Prize for Arabic Literature (IPAF), one of the most prestigious literary awards in the Arab world. the organizers announced.

Bashim Hadakji, 41 years oldwas awarded the prize for his book “Mask, the color of the sky”, which tells the story of Nour, an archaeologist who lives in a refugee camp in Ramallah, in the occupied West Bank, when he finds the blue Israeli identity card in the pocket of an old coat.

He adopts a new identity, this “mask”, to understand the mentality of the Israeli, the “occupying force”.

In the absence of the author, the owner of the publishing house that published his work, who is based in Lebanon, received the award at the ceremony in Abu Dhabi.

According to this year’s jury president, Nabil Suleiman, the novel “dissects the complex, bitter reality of family breakdown, displacement, genocide and racism.”

The author was arrested in 2004 for “terrorist activities”, at the age of 21. He was convicted three times, with sentences ending up being life in prison, for “planning and aiding and abetting a suicide bombing” in Tel Aviv, the Jerusalem Post reported in February when Bashim Hadakji’s book was selected for IPAF.

During his imprisonment, the novelist completed a degree in political science at Al Quds University and wrote collections of poems and other non-fiction in addition to his award-winning novel.

The award is accompanied by $50,000 cash prizewhile IPAF funding will be made available to translate the award-winning book into English.

The IPAF award ceremony this year coincided with the devastating war in the Gaza Strip, triggered by the bloody attack by Hamas’ military arm in southern Israel on October 7, 2023.