Da The Gulf Today del 23 giugno 2015
Il mese di Ramadan segna anche il tempo per la riflessione e la cultura a Sharjah. A testimonarlo è il Rmadan Majlis, diventato uno degli eventi più seguiti e in occasione del quale quest’anno hanno partecipato numerosi scrittori arabi tra cui il vincitore del Booker Price 2015, Shukri Al Mabkhout.
RAMADAN MAJLIS PRESENTS AWARD-WINNING ARAB NOVELIST
The 4th Ramadan Majlis, organised by Sharjah Media Centre (SMC), kicked off late on June 22 at Al Majaz Amphitheatre in the presence of SMC Chairman Sheikh Sultan Bin Ahmed Al Qasimi. The Majlis has become one of the most sought-after and popular Ramadan events among renowned figures from the worlds of culture, art, sports and media. The first session, titled Arabic Fiction Dialogue, was moderated by presenter and poet Dr Parween Habib and had participation from four award-winning Arab novelists. They included Shukri Al Mabkhout, Tunisian novelist and winner of the 2015 Booker Prize for his novel Al Talyani (The Italian); Saud Al Sanousi, Kuwaiti novelist and winner of the 2014 Booker Prize for his novel The Bamboo Stalk; Emirati novelist Reem Al Kamali, winner of the 2015 Al Owais Creativity Award for her novel Sultanate of Hormuz; and Saudi writer Sarah Matar, whose works include A Tribe Called Sarah, I am Sunni. You Are Shiite and But You Are Her Lover. Sheikh Sultan Bin Ahmed Al Qasimi said the Ramadan Majlis is dedicated to highlighting the importance of the culture of dialogue in achieving positive communication between all segments of society. “A culture of dialogue is essential for enriching intercultural dialogue and exchange of constructive views and encouraging the values of tolerance, love and acceptance. Arabic fiction was selected as the theme of the first session as the contemporary novel is popular among readers and offers a broad literary field that details life’s subtleties and nuances,” he said. Shukri Al Mabkhout said his debut novel Al Talyani was inspired by the events he witnessed in Tunisia over the past few years. Using the modern Tunisian history with all its complexities as a backdrop, it is a contemporary love story. He said that there is a great deal of issues in the Arab world that are a good source for writers, but the author needs to be realistic in order to show beauty and ugliness, as well as positive and negative things. Emirati novelist Reem Al Kamali spoke about her experience writing her first novel Sultanate of Hormuz. She said: “My childhood in a green village where water flowed on the Strait of Hormuz was the motive that encouraged me to write a historical novel that needed a lot of references and research. I want to stimulate readers and inspire them to think. Good language is important here and I am careful in selecting my vocabulary. But ultimately, a novel is life. And life is rich in great details to tell.” Saud Al Sanousi said that when he wrote his novel The Bamboo Stalk, he felt that he was writing his own biography. Al Sanousi pointed out that his novel was shocking to readers of his generation because it dealt with matters that were not in the collective consciousness. He said, “A novel diagnoses our pains and uncovers our mistakes. Local issues do not form an obstacle for writers, as it can be a starting point from which they can go further to higher horizons. It is wonderful that the very domestic experience can garner great attention.” Author Sarah Matar currently writes articles in six Arabic-language newspapers. She posted the first chapter of her novel I’m Sunni. You are Shiite on a website where it became very popular. She said, “I am inspired by characters that can be found everywhere and am very proud of specialising in biographies. I don’t believe that writers search for fame through their writing, they rather seek to achieve a personal victory. When a person lives a love story, for instance, and this story fails for any reason, the writer writes about it to feel victorious.”
