Palestinian writer Basim Khandaqji, who has been imprisoned in Israel for 20 years, has won the 2024 International Prize for Arabic Fiction for his novel “A Mask, the Colour of the Sky.”
The novel, which explores themes of identity, displacement, and racism, was chosen from 133 works submitted to the competition. The award was announced at a ceremony in Abu Dhabi, where Rana Idriss, the owner of the book’s publisher, accepted the prize on Khandaqji’s behalf.
Khandaqji was born in the Israeli-occupied West Bank city of Nablus in 1983. He began writing short stories at a young age and was arrested in 2004 at the age of 21 on charges relating to a bombing in Tel Aviv. He was convicted and jailed, but continued his education from inside prison via the internet.
Despite his imprisonment, Khandaqji has continued to write, publishing poetry collections and three novels. His latest novel, “A Mask, the Colour of the Sky,” delves into the complex and often bitter realities of displacement and identity in the Middle East.
The novel’s title refers to the blue identity card that Nur, an archaeologist living in a refugee camp in Ramallah, finds in the pocket of an old coat belonging to an Israeli. The mask represents the different identities that Palestinians are forced to adopt in order to survive under occupation.
Khandaqji’s novel is a powerful and moving indictment of the Israeli occupation and its devastating impact on the lives of Palestinians. It is a must-read for anyone who wants to understand the complexities of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.