Saudi Voices Go Global: How English Books Are Changing the Game
Today, we are already noticing how Saudi Arabia is becoming the ultimate hub of art and entertainment but did you know that they are also teetering towards the world of global literature?
Many Saudi authors across the Kingdom are writing up English language books to be able to reach wider international readers. With the kingdom introducing new publishing opportunities, writers are getting to spread their culture through English language books. Let us meet the most significant of these authors:
Mai Yamani
Exuding the epitome of a melting pot of cultures, Mai Yamani was born in Cairo to an Iraqi mother and Saudi father. Even her schooling was culturally eclectic as she attended schools in Baghdad, Mecca, and Lausanne. Then she shattered ground when she became the first Saudi Arabian to receive a doctorate from Oxford.
Today she is an accomplished author having penned several books including “Changed Identities: The Challenge of the New Generation in Saudi Arabia and Cradle of Islam: The Hijaz” and the “Quest for an Arabian Identity”. These books have reached international spheres and gave the western world a deep look into the Arabian identity, Saudi Arabia and Islam.
Fatemah Abdullah Al-Qahtani
Beyond Yamani, there are many other writers who are still, slowly, trying to make a name for themselves in the international sphere. One such emerging author is Fatemah Abdullah Al-Qahtani. She is a professor of creative practices at Princess Nourah bint Abdulrahman University.
She had quite the tumultuous journey when it comes to publishing as regional publishers refused to publish her work because it was written in English and many recommended for her to have her books written in Arabic instead. This year, she finally found a publisher to publish her work. His name is Austin Macauley and he is a British publisher who published her book “Creativity and Conservatism.” This book offers a an investigation into the formation of Saudi female artistic identity.
Halah Alshathri
When it comes to Halah Alshathri, she is also an emerging author who works as a vice president of admin and financial services at Jazira Group in Riyadh. Her books have a focus on the world of business and corporate life and that is why her new book “Values of Mastery” all about optimizing one’s life, seizing opportunities and making the most of one’s talents. It is a book to propel people forward in the business world.
Leen Al-Tamimi
Taking a different approach to the other writers on this list, Leen Al-Tamimi is an emerging children books writer. She writes up allegorical stories with universal messages to children. That is why she focuses on writing stories in English and having her stories be about far off lands and not ones that exist in our current world.
Her book “The Farmer with a Heart of Gold” is all about teaching kids the importance of behaving well and that is even during difficult situations. Seeing as how she wrote the book 10 years ago, there was no means of publishing it as it was hard to publish back then. Luckily, today, she was able to find a publishing house to get her story out there.
All these authors showcase the ever-growing landscape of art and literature in the kingdom and how the country connections with the rest of the globe to foster an exchange of culture and to make a name for itself in the world of tourism and entertainment.
