Basim Khandaqji’s ‘A Mask, the Color of the Sky’: IPAF-winning Novel Explores Palestinian Identity and Oppression from Prison Cell

Palestinian author Basim Khandaqji, who has spent 20 years behind bars in Israeli prisons, recently won a prestigious literary prize for Arabic fiction. His novel “A Mask, the Color of the Sky” earned him $50,00 and funding to translate it into English following its announcement as this year’s International Prize for Arabic Fiction (IPAF) winner at an event in Abu Dhabi last Sunday.
The book explores a story in which Palestinian refugee Nur uncovers a discarded blue identity card from Israeli nationality while sifting through the pockets of a worn-out coat found lying around their home. The mask mentioned in the title symbolically represents this ID document, and Khandaqji’s novel “sets out to reclaim elements of history and place with vivid and memorable characterization,” according to IPAF.
The book tackles complex themes such as family fragmentation, displacement, genocide, and prejudice while interweaving historical strands, mythology, and the present day in a narrative that is “stirred by desire for freedom from oppression” on both personal and societal levels according to Syrian author Nabil Suleiman who chaired this year’s prize.
Born in 1983 in Nablus, Khandaqji currently serves three life sentences linked to a fatal suicide bombing that took place at Tel Aviv’s Camel Market in 2004 where the incident claimed the lives of three individuals and left many injured according to UAE state media The National. During his imprisonment period spanning over two decades, Khandaqji has also authored poetry collections as well as several novels before penning “A Mask, the Color of the Sky.”
Khandaqji’s brother Yousef attended this year’s IPAF ceremony in Abu Dhabi and said that his sibling dedicates this victory to all Palestinians. He added: “I miss him every day, but he is always present in our hearts.