Taher wins fiction prize

Egyptian writer Baha Taher won the inaugural International Prize for Arabic Fiction for “Sunset Oasis,” a book that explores one man’s existential crisis.

The $50,000 prize, announced at a ceremony in Abu Dhabi, aims to secure recognition for outstanding Arabic authors and to ensure that their works will be translated.

Modeled on Britain’s prestigious Man Booker Prize, the contest is funded by the Emirates Foundation, a philanthropic organization based in Abu Dhabi.