The Inaugural Sheikh Zayed Book Award Lecture to be Hosted by the Middle East Centre, St Antony’s College, University of Oxford, 5th November

OXFORD, England - St Antony’s College, Oxford is delighted to be hosting the inaugural Sheikh Zayed Book Award Lecture at 5pm on the 5th of November. The award is presented every year to outstanding writers, translators, publishers and first-time novelists whose work has made a substantial contribution to Arab culture. Now in its fourth year, the award has recognized outstanding publications from across the Arab world.

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“Hosting the Zayed Book Award Ceremony at the Middle East Centre allows the University of Oxford to celebrate excellence in Arabic letters and promote cultural exchange between Europe and the Arab world,” said Dr Eugene Rogan, Director of the Middle East Centre, University Lecturer in the Modern History of the Middle East and author of The Arabs: A History (Allen Lane, 2009).

Commenting on this cultural dialogue, Mr. Rashed Al Oraimi, the award’s Secretary General, said “We are delighted with the award’s fruitful cooperation with the globally recognised University of Oxford. The award provides a platform to showcase and expand the Arab culture, and we believe that Oxford will open the channels for an influential and sophisticated dialogue with the European academia.”

Speaking at this event will be Dr. Abdulla Al Ghadami, member of the Sheikh Zayed Book Award Advisory Council, and novelist Gamal Al Ghitani, winner of the 2009 Sheikh Zayed Book Award for Literature.

The Sheikh Zayed Book Award is announced each spring in a ceremony held in Abu Dhabi. Following this inaugural lecture, the Middle East Centre looks forward to hosting an annual lecture each spring, bringing one of the award winners to address the Oxford audience.

The Middle East Centre at St Antony’s is the centre for the interdisciplinary study of the modern Middle East at the University of Oxford. Centre Fellows teach and conduct research in the humanities and social sciences with direct reference to the Arab world, Iran, Israel and Turkey, with particular emphasis on the nineteenth and twentieth centuries.

Notes to editors - Among subjects in the humanities, Oriental Studies at Oxford is unique in introducing students to civilisations that are radically different from the Western ones that form the basis of the curriculum in most British schools and colleges. The courses present both the major traditions of the regions studied and, in most cases, their modern developments. All courses include language, literature, history and culture, and there are a wide range of options in such fields as art, archaeology, history, literature, philosophy, religion and modern social studies. For more information visit www.orinst.ox.ac.uk/ - The Sheikh Zayed Book Award is an independent cultural award established in memory of Sheikh Zayed Bin Sultan, who served as the ruler of Abu Dhabi and president of the UAE for more than 30 years. The award comprises a total monetary prize value of GBP1,166,000. For more information please visit the website www.zayedaward.com/en/default.aspx Contacts : Karin Aghadjanian Communication and Foreign Relations Coordinator Sheikh Zayed Book Award Tel. +971-2-4449366 Fax. +9712-4446037 Cell. +971508343823 karin.boulos@cultural.org.ae P.O.box. 2380 Abu Dhabi- UAE

Source: Sheikh Zayed Book Award

Contacts : Karin Aghadjanian, Communication and Foreign Relations Coordinator, Sheikh Zayed, Book Award, Tel. +971-2-4449366, Fax. +9712-4446037, Cell. +971508343823, karin.boulos at cultural.org.ae, P.O.box. 2380, Abu Dhabi- UAE