Each winner of the award, which is named after the prominent Iranian writer Jalal Al-e Ahmad (1923-1969) will receive 110 Bahar Azadi gold coins (worth over $200,000), said the organizer of the event Ali Shojaei Saiin.
Shojaei who is also the managing director of Iran's Book House noted that the winners are selected and will receive their awards during the ceremony on Saturday, adding, the entries are judged in the five categories of short story, novel, literary critics, documentation, and historiography.
"The committee might choose some more literati to be honored on the same day which is also the anniversary of the birth of Jalal Al-e Ahmad (November 22)," he continued according to Tehran Times.
Shojaei further explained that the reason for not inviting author Simin Daneshvar (Jalal's wife) is due to her illness, "We felt that she would not be able to participate in the ceremony which might take a long time."
The 86-year-old writer was hospitalized in a Tehran hospital in July, 2007 due to a respiratory infection and was discharged the following month. After her recovery she resumed her writing activities.
"The School Principal," "By the Pen," "The Tale of Beehives," "The Cursing of the Land" and "A Stone upon a Grave" are among the works of Al-e Ahmad.
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