Mohammed Al Naas, born in Libya in 1991, is a short story writer, novelist and journalist. After getting a degree in electric engineering, he emerged as a writer in 2020 with his first short story collection Blue Blood. His debut novel, Bread on Uncle Milad’s Table (2021) won the International Prize for Arabic Fiction in 2022. Al Naas was both the youngest and the first Libyan author to win the prize. The novel was controversial and created a buzz in the Arab world that led to his book being barely distributed in Libya. The novel bravely tackles a sensitive issue questioning the meaning of masculinity and femininity in Libyan society. English and French translations will be published in 2024 (by HarperVia / HarperCollins and Le Bruit Du Monde)
Mohammed Al Naas
/
Selected bibliography
- خبز على طاولة الخال ميلاد, Bread on Uncle Milad’s Table*, Meskiliani, Rashm, Tunisia/Saudi Arabia, 2021
* Working title
Press
Alnaas represents the post-2011 generation of Libyan writers, each of whom began to find his or her voice during the dramatic political events that set Libya on a course to many social and cultural turning changes” by The Markaz Review, July 2022
This celebration from readers, from people, from family and friends, makes me feel proud and makes me feel that all the years I spent in isolation, writing and working hard… it gives me hope that people do read and that literature ultimately triumphs” by Arabic Fiction, May 2022
Mohammed Alnaas on Sunday became the first Libyan and youngest author to win the International Prize for Arabic Fiction” by The National, May 2022
This offers a deep and meticulous critique of prevailing concepts of masculinity and femininity and the division of work between men and women, and the effect of these on both a psychological and social level” by Euronews, May 2022
Prizes and awards
- Winner of the International Prize for Arabic fiction in 2022
Book(s) featured on this site
-
A Libyan love story that questions ideas of gender and masculinity