Shukri Mabkhout, also transcribed Choukri Mabkhout, (; born 1962) is a Tunisian academic, critic and novelist. His 2014 debut novel, ''al-Talyānī'' ( The Italian), won the

International Prize for Arabic Fiction The International Prize for Arabic Fiction (IPAF) (), also known as "the Arabic Booker", is regarded as the most prestigious and important literary prize in the Arab world. Its aim is to reward excellence in contemporary Arabic creative writing ...

(the "Arab Booker") and has been translated into English and Italian.

Biography

He was born in

Tunis Tunis (, ') is the capital city, capital and largest city of Tunisia. The greater metropolitan area of Tunis, often referred to as "Grand Tunis", has about 2,700,000 inhabitants. , it is the third-largest city in the Maghreb region (after Casabl ...

, and obtained a PhD in literature from the Manouba University. He has written several works of literary criticism and sits on the board of several literary journals. Professor at the

University of Tunis Tunis University (, ) is a public university in Tunis, Tunisia. It was founded in 1960 on the basis of earlier educational establishments. The University of Tunis is a member of the Mediterranean University Union (UNIMED) and of Agence univers ...

, he was

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of the Faculty of Arts, Arts and Humanities of La Manouba before becoming president of Manouba University (2011-2017). Director of the 33rd and the 34rd edition of the Tunis International Book Fair, he is also a member of the editorial board of several refereed journals, including ''Ibla'' magazine (published by the Institute of Arabic Literature in Tunis) and ''Romano Arabica'' (published by The Centre for Arab Studies in Bucharest). In 2016, he was appointed by the President of the

Republic of Tunisia Tunisia, officially the Republic of Tunisia, is a country in the Maghreb region of North Africa. It is bordered by Algeria to the west and southwest, Libya to the southeast, and the Mediterranean Sea to the north and east. Tunisia also shares m ...

as a member of the Higher Committee for Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms.

''al-Talyānī (''The Italian)

Shukri Mabkhout was propelled onto the international scene by his first novel ''al-Talyānī'' (''The Italian''), published in 2014. The plot follows a man, Abdel Nasser (nicknamed "The Italian") who inexplicably attacks the imam neighborhood imam during his father's funeral. The events of the novel unfold in Tunisia during the tumultuous late 1980s and early 1990s, and examine the political clashes between leftists and Islamists and the forces that brought

Zine el-Abidine Ben Ali A zine ( ; short for ''magazine'' or ''fanzine'') is, as noted on Merriam-Webster’s official website, a magazine that is a “noncommercial often homemade or online publication usually devoted to specialized and often unconventional subject ...

to power. The novel won the prestigious

(often called the "Arab Booker prize"), which was awarded in Abu Dhabi despite the book being banned in the Emirates. ''Al-Talyānī'' was translated into English by Karen McNeil and Miled Faiza and was published as '' The Italian'' by Europa Editions in October 2021. It was also translated into Italian by Barbara Teresi and published as ''L’Italiano'' by Europa Editions in 2017.

Honors and awards

* (1994) Tunisian National Book Award * (2012)

King Abdullah Bin Abdulaziz International Award for Translation King Abdullah bin Abdulaziz International Award for Translation (previously Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah bin Abdulaziz International Award for Translation (2008-2014)) is a Saudi international literary award for the translation o ...

* (2015)

* (2015) Tunisian Cultural Prize (2015) * (2015) COMAR d'Or Prize * (2016) Commander of the Tunisian Order of Merit * (2018)

King Faisal International Prize The King Faisal Prize (, formerly King Faisal International Prize), is an annual award sponsored by King Faisal Foundation presented to "dedicated men and women whose contributions make a positive difference". The foundation awards prizes in fiv ...

in Arabic Language and Literature * Abdul Hameed Shoman Arab Researchers Award

Publications

Fiction

*(2014) '' al-Talyānī'' (); English translation: The Italian * (2015) ''al-Sayyida al-raʾīsah'' ( (Madame President) * (2016) Bāghandā ()

Academic Books

* ''The biography in the book of al-Ayyâm of Tâhâ Husayn'', Tunis, Sud Published, 1992 * ''Aesthetics: The text and its readers in classical Arabic poetics'', Carthage,

Tunisian Academy of Sciences, Letters, and Arts The Beit al-Hikma Foundation (shortened to Beit al-Hikma) or Tunisian Academy of Sciences, Letters and Arts is a scholarly national academy based in Tunis. It is housed officially in a mid-19th century palace, Carthage Royal Palace, Zarrouk Pala ...

, 1993 * ''The construction of negation'', Tunis, University Publishing Center, 2006 * ''The Inductive reasoning'', Tunis, Publications of the faculty of letters of La Manouba, 2007 * ''The assigned meaning'', Tunis, Dar Maraya al hadatha, 2008 * ''Theorization of linguistic issues'', Tunis, Masciliana Publishing, 2008 * ''Encyclopedic Dictionary of Pragmatics'', Beirut, Dar Kitab al jadeed, 2010 * ''Studies dealing with autobiography in Arabic literature'', Tunis, Masciliana Publishing, 2017 * ''The history of the atonement in Tunisia'', Tunis, Masciliana Publishing, 2018

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Mabkhout, Shukri Tunisian writers 1962 births Living people Manouba University alumni Academic staff of Manouba University Academic staff of Tunis University Heads of universities and colleges in Tunisia International Prize for Arabic Fiction winners