Buthaina Al-Assi wins the Inside Literary Prize 2026 for her novel "The Rooftop Keeper of the World"

In a new achievement that strengthens the global presence of Kuwaiti and Arab literature, the novel “The Rooftop Keeper of the World” by Kuwaiti author Buthaina Al-Ateeqi won the 2026 Inside Literary Prize in its third edition, in its English translation. Al-Ateeqi told Al-Qabas, “I am delighted to have won the Inside Literary Prize, and I hope this victory will create opportunities to shed more light on contemporary Kuwaiti and Arab literary production, and contribute to enhancing the presence and representation of Arab literature in the global literary landscape.” She added, “I am also pleased to see initiatives like Freedom Reads, which place books at the heart of the process of human development, deepening people’s understanding of the meaning of freedom, while playing a pioneering role in integrating marginalized social groups and involving them in cultural and literary dialogue.” Al-Ateeqi emphasized that the award represents a distinct and exceptional experience in her creative career, not only because of the literary recognition it entails, but also due to the nature of the institution granting it, as it is the first literary prize in the United States whose winners are chosen exclusively by inmates of correctional facilities. The prize is awarded through a collaboration between the Freedom Reads initiative, the American National Book Foundation, the Center for Justice Innovation, and other partners, in a unique endeavor that makes reading a bridge to freedom and literature a space for human dialogue that transcends the walls of correctional institutions. “The Rooftop Keeper of the World” unfolds in a dark, imaginative space where a strict regime imposes its authority on the imagination and combats its manifestations in art, literature, music, and language, relentlessly striving to strip individuals of their individuality and reduce them to mere cogs. Through this world, the novel raises profound questions about freedom and its connection to imagination, and about humanity’s capacity to resist a reality that seeks to confiscate its dreams. The novel’s translation into more than 18 languages has enabled it to reach readers from diverse cultures, earned it nominations for several international awards, and led Time magazine editors to select it as one of the recommended reads of 2024.