Qina' bi-lawn al-Sama'قناع بلون السماء

WINNER OF THE 2024 International Prize for Arabic Fiction (Arab Booker), «A Mask, the Colour of the Sky» by Palestinian writer Basim Khandaqji.

Nur, an archaeologist living in a refugee camp in Ramallah, finds a blue identity card belonging to an Israeli in the pocket of an old coat. He adopts the mask of the occupier in an attempt to understand the Zionist mindset. As “Nur” becomes “Ur”, he joins an archaeological dig on a settlement, and historical Palestine is revealed. In the chasm between Nur and Ur – between the blue Israeli identity card, and the pass required by Palestinians for travel within Israel; and between the character’s suppressed original narrative, and the new dominant one – will Nur succeed in throwing off his mask, triumphing over Ur and reaching the light? - (arabicfiction.org)

Basim Khandaqji is a Palestinian novelist, born in Nablus, Palestine in 1983. He studied Journalism and Media at the Al-Najah National University in Nablus. He wrote short stories until his imprisonment when he was 21 years old, in 2004. Inside prison, he registered with Al-Quds University and completed university studies in Political Science with a thesis on Israeli Studies. He also continued writing, including articles about literature, politics, female Palestinian activists and prisoners inside Israeli prisons. He has published several poetry collections including Rituals of the First Time (2010); The Breath of a Nocturnal Poem (2013); The Narcissus of Isolation (2017); as well as novels, including The Eclipse of Badr al-Din (2019); The Breath of a Woman Let Down (2020); and A Mask, the Colour of the Sky (2023).