Omani author wins Man Booker prize

Wednesday, 22 May 2019 10:01

Omani author Jokha Alharthi has become the first Arabic writer to win the prestigious Man Booker International Prize.

She's also the first female writer from Oman to be translated into English.

Her book Celestial Bodies confronts Oman's post-colonial evolution, with the judges describing it as "a richly imagined, engaging and poetic insight into a society in transition and into lives previously obscured".

Alharthi will share the £50,000 (around AED 233,364) prize with her translator, American academic Marilyn Booth.

More from International News

Rescuers pull four from flooded cave in Laos

Rescuers pulled four people from a flooded cave in Laos on Saturday, Thai volunteers said, hours after another man was brought out late on Friday.
Zambia steps up Ebola screening as neighbouring Congo sees cases rise

Zambia has investigated and cleared two suspected cases of Ebola as it steps up screening and surveillance for the deadly viral disease following an outbreak in neighbouring Democratic Republic of Congo.
Pentagon chief says US ready to restart strikes on Iran if no deal

The US is ready to restart attacks on Iran if a deal cannot be reached, Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth said on Saturday, as negotiators from Washington and Tehran worked to bridge major differences blocking an agreement.
Flights briefly halted at Munich Airport over possible drone sighting

Flights were halted for about an hour at Munich Airport in southern Germany on Saturday morning after two pilots reported seeing a drone, airport authorities and police said, confirming initial reports by German media.