For her novel “Hind, or the Most Beautiful Woman in the World” (published by Dar al-Adab, 2024), the Lebanese-French author Hoda Barakat was awarded the prestigious Sheikh Zayed Book Award in the Literature category in April 2025. The novel offers a profound narrative of loss, pain, fragility, and the search for identity. It revolves around the protagonist Hanadi, who loses her once radiant beauty due to the rare disease, acromegaly, and her mother, who is torn between grief and rejection. The novel explores the themes of motherhood and worldly beauty, raising fundamental questions about human existence and the complexity of relationships.

Please note: the event will be available in English, German, and Arabic.

Hoda Barakat is an internationally acclaimed novelist and journalist. Her works, originally written in Arabic, have been translated into English, French, Spanish and several other languages, and have received numerous awards. In addition, she serves as a visiting lecturer and writer-in-residence at various international institutions.

The conversation will be moderated by Lena Bopp. Lena Bopp majored in political science and languages in Mainz and Paris. Since 2011 she has been an editor in the arts section of the F.A.Z., where she focuses on literature and cultural reporting from the Arab world and France.

Simultaneous translation German - Arabic and into English provided by Carmen Grau and Mustafa al Slaiman.

In cooperation with Sheikh Zayed Book Award.