Cairo's greatest literary secret

Bahaa Taher: One of the most respected living writers in the Arab world. Photograph: EPA/Mohamed Omar

The latest Booker prizewinner is tucking into seafood risotto beside the calm waters of the Arabian Gulf, weighing up a sometimes turbulent career. Bahaa Taher was sacked as a radio journalist in Egypt in the 1970s and driven into exile. Yet he says now, "I was freed, not fired."

As the Man Booker prize turns 40 this year, the foundation behind it has backed a new award, for the best novel of the year written in Arabic. Taher picked up the first $60,000 International Prize for Arabic Fiction last month in Abu Dhabi. The award was announced during the international book fair there, now a joint venture with Frankfurt, aimed at stimulating publishing in the region, with zero tolerance of rampant book piracy. Few Arabic novelists can earn a living from their books.