The prestigious Saif Ghobash Banipal Prize for Arabic Literary Translation 2024 has been awarded to Katharine Halls for her extraordinary translation of Ahmed Naji’s prison memoir, Rotten Evidence: Reading and Writing in an Egyptian Prison. Published by McSweeney’s, the book captures the harrowing yet profoundly human experience of Naji’s time in Egypt’s Tora Prison following his conviction for “violating public decency.”
The prize, announced by the Society of Authors, celebrates Halls’s ability to bring the rich complexities of Naji’s memoir to an English-speaking audience. Judges described her work as a “brilliant feat,” highlighting her deft navigation of cultural idioms and her skill in rendering diverse linguistic registers, from colloquial prison slang to dense legal jargon.
A competitive shortlist
The 2024 shortlist featured six exceptional works, with three titles emerging as top contenders:
• Lost in Mecca by Bothayna Al-Essa, translated by Nada Faris
• Traces of Enayat by Iman Mersal, translated by Robin Moger
• Rotten Evidence by Ahmed Naji, translated by Katharine Halls
While the judges praised Lost in Mecca for its bold exploration of taboo subjects, the final decision came down to Traces of Enayat and Rotten Evidence. Both works offer vivid portrayals of Egyptian society and the consequences of writing under repressive regimes, with Rotten Evidence ultimately taking the prize for its narrative artistry and scathing critique of political oppression.
Judge Michael Caines described Rotten Evidence as “scathing, humorous, and compelling,” noting that it excels in both its indictment of a broken political system and its visceral depiction of Naji’s interior life in prison. Laura Watkinson commended Halls’s ability to incorporate Arabic linguistic elements into the text, enhancing the reader’s experience while preserving the essence of the original work.
Katharine Halls: A remarkable translator
Halls, an Arabic-to-English translator based in Cardiff, has a distinguished track record in literary translation. Her translation of Rotten Evidence was also shortlisted for the 2023 National Book Critics Circle Award for Memoir and Autobiography in the United States.
Halls’s past accolades include the PEN/Heim Translation Fund Grant and the Sheikh Hamad Award for Translation. Her portfolio spans a range of mediums, from literary journals like The Kenyon Review and Words Without Borders to stage performances at the Royal Court Theatre.
Upon receiving the prize, Halls expressed a mix of honor and reflection, acknowledging the ongoing struggles of detainees like Alaa Abd el-Fattah, a key figure in Egypt’s fight for freedom and a close friend of Ahmed Naji.
“This accolade,” Halls stated, “is a testament to Ahmed Naji’s bravery and his ability to infuse humor and humanity into a revolutionary act of writing against oppression.”
About Rotten Evidence
Ahmed Naji’s memoir offers a gripping account of his ten-month imprisonment in Cairo’s Tora Prison in 2016. Convicted for “violating public morality” after an excerpt from his novel Using Life reportedly caused a reader to experience heart palpitations, Naji uses the memoir to explore themes of censorship, creativity, and resilience.
Through Halls’s translation, readers gain insight into the day-to-day realities of Egyptian prison life, from makeshift chess sets to the absurdities of negotiating with prison authorities. The memoir stands as both a poignant chronicle of personal suffering and a broader commentary on authoritarian censorship.
The Saif Ghobash Banipal Prize: Celebrating Arabic literary translation
Established in 2006, the Saif Ghobash Banipal Prize is the first international award dedicated to Arabic literary translation into English. With an annual prize of £3,000, the award aims to honor translators who bridge cultural divides and bring Arabic literature to a wider audience.
The 2024 award ceremony will take place on 12 February 2025 at the British Library, London. It will be followed by a celebration of Arabic literary translation at the SOAS Brunei Gallery on 13 February 2025, featuring a lecture by Margaret Litvin on the theme “Translating Beauty and Revolt in Arabic Literature Today.”
