Algerian Novelist Said Khaitibi Wins 2026 International Prize for Arabic Fiction
Said Khatibi takes home the $50,000 award for his historical novel Swimming Against the Tide, becoming the second Algerian to win the prestigious honor.
- Publish date: Friday، 10 April 2026 Reading time: two min read
Algerian author Said Khatibi has been named the winner of the 2026 International Prize for Arabic Fiction (IPAF), commonly known as the Arabic Booker, for his novel Swimming Against the Tide. Khatibi received the $50,000 prize during a remote ceremony held on Thursday, following the postponement of the Abu Dhabi International Book Fair from April to September.
The award, which includes additional funding to support an English translation of the winning work, recognizes Swimming Against the Tide as a standout contribution to contemporary Arabic literature. Published by Hachette Antoine / Naufal, the novel is set in Bousaada during the 1990s. The narrative begins with Aqila Toumi, a respected ophthalmologist, being accused of poisoning her husband, Makhlouf Toumi, a forensic pathologist. As Aqila faces interrogation, the story expands into a sweeping historical inquiry that traverses fifty years of Algerian history, covering the Second World War, the war of independence, and the turbulent early 1990s.
This victory marks a significant milestone in Khatibi's career. It is his second time reaching the final stage of the competition, having previously been shortlisted in 2020 for his novel Firewood of Sarajevo. With this win, he becomes only the second Algerian writer to claim the IPAF title, following Abdelouahab Aissaoui, who won in 2020 for The Spartan Court.
Born in Bousaada in 1984, Khatibi is a novelist and journalist who studied in both Algeria and France. His literary accolades extend beyond the IPAF; his earlier novel Forty Years Waiting for Isabelle secured the Katara Prize in 2017, and The End of the Desert won the Young Author category of the Sheikh Zayed Book Award in 2023.
The timing of the award coincides with a growing international presence for Khatibi's work in English. His latest translated novel, The End of the Sahara, was published by Bitter Lemon Press in February, following the 2021 release of Firewood of Sarajevo by Banipal Books.
Khatibi emerged victorious from a competitive shortlist that included Doaa Ibrahim (A Cloud Above My Head), Amin Zaoui (Siesta Dream), Ahmad Abdulatif (The Origin of Species), Najwa Barakat (The Absence of Mai), and Diaa Jubaili (The Seer). Each of the shortlisted authors received $10,000. All finalists are scheduled to participate in sessions at the rescheduled Abu Dhabi International Book Fair, which will take place from September 13 to 18 at the Abu Dhabi National Exhibition Centre.