The Independent Foreign Fiction Prize Winner

Hello Gentle Reader

The Independent Foreign Fiction Prize has announced its winner; and it’s quite a groundbreaking one. In its twenty-four year run the Independent Foreign Fiction Prize, has awarded this year’s prize to an Arabic author, for the first time. Hassan Blasim, the Iraqi born writer, has won the prize for his second short story collection: “The Iraqi Christ.” What is even more exciting about this win is it is the first time a short story collection has been victorious. “The Iraqi Christ,” is part reportage, memoir, and dark fantastical collection. It showcases with brutal honesty Iraq post-sadam and post-invasion; this collection of stories, provides harrowing and honest depiction of contemporary Iraq and its society. Blasim no longer residing in Iraq because of persecution has settled down in Finland with help of a friend; after four years of illegal migration, through such countries as Turkey, Iran, Bulgaria, and Serbia.

Congratulations are in order to Hassan Blasim, for this historic win; as it is (once again) the first time an Arabic writer has won the award; but it is also a historic win for the Short Story as a writing from, proving once again that the short story is not the poor related cousin to the novel.

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