Congratulations to Magdalen Emeritus Fellow Professor Marilyn Booth, whose translation of Honey Hunger by Omani author Zahran Alqasmi has been awarded the 2025 Saif Ghobash Banipal Prize for Arabic Literary Translation.
The Saif Ghobash Banipal Prize for Arabic Literary Translation is an annual award established in 2006 to recognize the vital role of the translator in bringing contemporary Arabic literature to a wider English-speaking audience. Administered by the Society of Authors and the Banipal Trust for Arab Literature, celebrating works that demonstrate both linguistic excellence and the power to bridge diverse cultural landscapes through storytelling.
The judging panel praised the translation’s exquisite language and style in translation, the significance of the themes explored in the novel (love, addiction, environment), and the fresh perspective the Omani voice and setting brings to bear on them. “Marilyn Booth’s translation is a masterclass in poetic translation,” said Professor Tina Phillips who chaired the judging panel, “which remains remarkably true to the original and seamlessly transports the reader to distant mountain landscapes of Oman.”
Marilyn is a distinguished scholar of Arabic Language and Literature, and while she is an internationally acclaimed translator – having won the International Booker Prize for her translation of Jokha Alharthi’s Celestial Bodies – this marks her first time receiving the Banipal Prize. Her translation of Honey Hunger was supported by the Omani Cultural Club, which promotes and encourages Omani literature and works to extend its reach to global audiences.
The formal award ceremony will take place on 10 February at the British Library and online. Marilyn will also be in conversation with Professor Tina Phillips on 13 February at the SOAS Brunei Gallery Lecture Theatre.