jordan pulse -

Writer Majdoleen Abu Rubb has won the "Khalil Qandil Short Story Award," the results of which were announced today at the University of Jordan in Amman. The announcement took place on the sidelines of the "Short Story Transformations" conference, organized by the Jerash Festival for Culture and Arts in cooperation with the Jordanian Writers Association.

The 38th edition of the festival carries the slogan "The Promise Continues," celebrating the silver jubilee of His Majesty King Abdullah II's accession to his constitutional powers and expressing solidarity with the people of Gaza, who have been facing a genocide since October 7th at the hands of Israeli occupation forces.

The conference represents an important recognition of the literary art of short stories and is a significant indication of the diverse interests of the Jerash Festival's cultural program.

Jordanian and Arab short story writers participated in the forum, discussing the state and transformations of the Arabic short story in recent years. Participants included Dr. Taleb Al-Refai from Kuwait, Samir Al-Fil from Egypt, Khalid Al-Yousef from Saudi Arabia, and Jordanians Dr. Hind Abu Al-Shaar, Dr. Mohammad Obeidallah, Dr. Imtinan Al-Samadi, Dr. Sami Ababneh, Dr. Lydia Abu Maryam, Dr. Lara Shafagoj, Dr. Hassan Al-Majali, Dr. Linda Obeid, Saud Qabilat, Ammar Al-Junaidi, in addition to the forum supervisor Dr. Attallah Al-Hijaya.

The speakers agreed on the importance of the Jerash Festival's attention to the art of short stories, considering it a form that meets contemporary cultural transformations, characterized by brevity and conciseness, which aligns with the contemporary human culture that prefers brief messages, telegrams, and short posts suitable for the fast-paced era without delving too much into details.

This year's forum also celebrated the very short story genre in both Jordan and Palestine.

The judging committee for the "Khalil Qandil Short Story Award" consisted of Mukhled Barakat, Al-Muthanna Al-Masafa, and Jumaa Shannab. The festival honors the late writer Qandil, who passed away in 2017, leaving behind a significant literary legacy.