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Asharq Al-Awsat
Asharq Al-Awsat
Lifestyle
London - Asharq Al-Awsat

Oman’s Jokha Alharthi Wins Man Booker International Prize

Omani author Jokha al-Harthi wins the Man Booker International Prize 2019 with her novel Celestial Bodies. ( EPA/Andy Rain )

Omani novelist Jokha Alharthi has won the Man Booker International prize for her novel Celestial Bodies translated from Arabic to English.

She has become the first Arabic-language writer to win the prize.

Celestial Bodies is set in the Omani village of al-Awafi and follows the stories of three sisters: Mayya, who marries into a rich family after a heartbreak; Asma, who marries for duty; and Khawla, waiting for a man who has emigrated to Canada.

Alharthi, 44, shares the £50,000 award equally with her translator, American academic Marilyn Booth.

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