A Mask, the Colour of the Sky

A Mask, the Colour of the Sky is a novel by the Palestinian writer, poet, and prisoner Basem Khandakji, is a book published in 2023 by published Dar Al-Adab in Beirut. The novel won the International Prize for Arabic Fiction in 2024, called the Arabic Booker Prize.
The English translation of the novel will be published in 2026 by Europa Editions.

Background

The book was written during confinement in Israeli prison. Israeli prison authorities denied all knowledge of the book.
Khandakji's brother said the novel was written between June and November 2021 "in difficult circumstances".

The book centres on a Palestinian named Nur who lives in a refugee camp in Ramallah. Finding the blue identity card given to Israelis in a secondhand coat, he assumes a fake name, Ur, and is hired for an archaeological dig near Megiddo.

The novel won the International Prize for Arabic Fiction in 2024 in a unanimous decision. The prize is widely considered the Arab world's most prestigious.
In a statement, the judges announced:
On the night the book won the award, the author was beaten by Israeli guards in his cell, then placed in solitary confinement in Ofer Prison.