OMAR EL AKKAD’S WHAT STRANGE PARADISE LONGLISTED FOR THE 2022 ASPEN WORDS LITERARY PRIZE

WHAT STRANGE PARADISE by Omar El Akkad has been longlisted for the 2022 Aspen Words Literary Prize, “a $35,000 annual award for fiction with social impact”.

“Open to authors of any nationality, the award is one of the largest literary prizes in the United States, and one of the few focused exclusively on fiction with a social impact. Past winners include Mohsin Hamid (2018 for “Exit West”), Tayari Jones (2019 for “An American Marriage”), Christy Lefteri (2020 for “The Beekeeper of Aleppo”) and Louise Erdrich (2021 for “The Night Watchman”). Eligible works include novels or short story collections that address questions of violence, inequality, gender, the environment, immigration, religion, race or other social issues.”

The shortlist will be announced on February 23, 2022.