Syrian Immigrant Writer Wins Most Prestigious Irish Literary Award
Suad Al-Durra's success story reflects literature's ability to transcend identity and exile barriers, transforming the immigration experience into recognized creativity
November 26, 2024, 7:16 pm

Syrian Immigrant Writer Wins Most Prestigious Irish Literary Award

المؤلفة السورية الأيرلندية سعاد الدرة \ تعبيرية \ متداولة

Syrian-Irish author Suad Al-Durra has won the 2024 Rooney Prize for Irish Literature during a special ceremony hosted by Trinity College Dublin. The prestigious award, established in 1976, is worth ten thousand euros and is awarded annually to recognize outstanding literary creativity by Irish writers under forty years of age.

Al-Durra's memoir "I Don't Want to Talk About Home," which narrates her escape journey from Syria in 2012, has garnered significant critical attention since its publication by Doubleday in 2022.

Al-Durra, an engineer residing in Dublin, revealed: "Although I've lived in Ireland since 2014, I didn't feel true belonging until I published my book."

Prize committee chairman Jonathan Williams highlighted that this is only the second time in the award's 48-year history that it has been given to a non-fiction work. The Rooney Prize, the oldest in the Irish literary scene, represents a milestone in emerging writers' careers, with previous winners including notable names like Neil Jordan and Anne Enright.

Dr. Peter Rooney praised Al-Durra's memoir, considering it "important because it gives a personal voice to the immigrant, allowing readers to feel the necessary empathy amid the flood of global images."

Al-Durra holds a master's degree in data analysis from Galway University, and her thesis RefugeesAre.info about misinformation regarding refugees has received international recognition. This year's award was managed by a jury of six members from diverse backgrounds in literature, media, and academia.

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